Jamal Ben Saddik, 33, has been sentenced to 40 months in prison and fined 40,000 euros by the Antwerp correctional court for his involvement in money laundering and fraud. His brother Said received a 30-month prison sentence and a 24,000-euro fine, while co-defendant Emad N. was sentenced to four years in prison and fined 80,000 euros.
The kickboxing star released a statement to social media, reassuring his fans that he will appeal the court's decision.
The case stems from an investigation in the Netherlands centered on Karim S., a soccer coach and entrepreneur, who ran a large-scale money laundering operation. He accepted cash from individuals with questionable sources and funneled it back to them as wages or loans, using fake employment contracts and pay slips to make the funds appear legitimate. In 2020, Karim S. was sentenced by an Amsterdam court to 42 months in prison for laundering over 2.5 million euros.
Belgian authorities were alerted when they discovered that a significant portion of the laundered money had been transferred to Belgium. Among Karim S.'s associates were Jamal Ben Saddik, his brother Said, and Emad N., all of whom were already known to Belgian law enforcement.
Prosecutors revealed that Ben Saddik had laundered 130,000 euros through Karim S.'s network and introduced Said and Emad N. to Karim S. An intercepted audio recording revealed Karim S. explaining how to disguise illicit earnings as legitimate wages to avoid asset seizure laws in Belgium.
The court found all three guilty almost entirely and ordered the confiscation of the laundered money in addition to the prison sentences and fines.
