Jamal Ben Saddik has been sentenced to 40 months in prison, half of which will be suspended, after his appeal was rejected in a money laundering case. The Antwerp Court of Appeal upheld his conviction for laundering over €1.2 million and forgery.
In addition to Jamal Ben Saddik, his brother Saïd Ben Saddik and associate Emad N. were also handed significant prison sentences of two and a half years and four years respectively. Authorities have seized the full €1,230,000 laundered in the scheme.
"Jamal has always acknowledged having made mistakes in the past. The judge has now passed a verdict, and Jamal resigns himself to that. He takes his responsibility in this. Obviously, Jamal had hoped for an even more favorable outcome, but we are relieved that the judge has significantly reduced the previously imposed sentence of 40 months to 20 months effective," Ben Saddik's management told NOS.
It remains uncertain how much time Ben Saddik will actually spend behind bars. In Belgium, prison sentences under 36 months do not always require full-time detention.
This verdict concludes the legal proceedings that exposed a network of fraudulent contracts and real estate scams connected to Dutch criminal Karim S. During raids, over €500,000 in cash and numerous falsified documents were confiscated.
The Dutch-Moroccan fighter returned to the ring earlier this year after more than two years away. In his most recent fight less than two weeks ago, he lost in the semifinals of the Last Heavyweight Standing tournament to Sofian Laidouni due to a cut on his shin.
