TOULOUSE (Reuters) – The Criminal Court of Montpellier on Friday condemned the star of French handball, Nikola Karabatic, to 10,000 euro fine for fraud in the case of the disputed sports paris at the Montpellier match Cesson-May 2012 .
His younger brother Luka Karabatic has meanwhile been sentenced to 15,000 euro fine.
The two Olympic champions will appeal, learned is it has with the One of their lawyers, Mr. Michael Corbier.
The fourteen other defendants, including six former teammates Karabatic brothers, who appeared in this trial for fraud or scam complicity, were also sentenced to fines ranging from 1,500 euros to 30,000 euros, including a suspended sentence for Primoz Prost, former teammate.
The former physiotherapist of the Montpellier club has been fined 5,000 euros.
Géraldine Pillet, the companion of Nikola Karabatic and Jennifer Pray that Luka Karabatic, respectively sentenced for swindling and fraud complicity, on the other hand will pay 10,000 euros fine.
All were convicted of bet or wager made on the defeat of Montpellier at halftime of a championship game against France Cesson-Sevigne May 12, 2012, finally lost by the Montpellier club.
The Criminal Court sentenced each defendant to repay all of his winnings to the French Games and to pay 1 euro, and the National League and the French Handball Federation, for moral prejudice.
The club Montpellier, who demanded 1.2 million euros in damages was dismissed.
Denouncing a “cheating”, the prosecution had requested a three-month prison suspension and fines of 20,000 euros against Luka Karabatic and 30,000 euros against his brother.
DISAPPOINTMENT
In his submissions, the prosecutor of Montpellier, Patrick Desjardins, had highlighted the timing of paris in Paris and Montpellier, the mixture of winning tickets to cover their tracks and the fact that none of the players has waived recover his winnings, which were removed in various cities of France.
“In this file, there is no room for chance, no room for paris made in good faith,” he said.
Me Michael Corbier, counsel for the Karabatic brothers who, during the trial, have always denied outright rigging the game did not hide his “disappointment” with the statement of deliberation.
Michèle Tisseyre, lawyer Montpellier club, announced that his client would appeal to the civil interests of the court judgment which found that the injury suffered by the MAHB was not traceable to the fact of fraud.
The survey these alleged rigged paris had started May 18, 2012 after the French game had alerted the judicial authorities on the amounts paris abnormally high compared to the stakes of the game.
Overall, paris offending amounted to nearly 100,000 euros for listing against 2.9 and 1 had reported a gain of about 300,000 euros.
(Johanna Decorse, edited by Yves Clarisse)
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