Sean Connery's Widow Is Facing Serious Accusations

Scottish actor, Sir Sean Connery, passed away on Oct. 31, 2020 at age 90 in the Bahamas, according to BBC. This death brought waves of reactions, including homage from the many actors who impersonated Connery over the years.

Since his passing, more information about the famed actor has surfaced. For instance, Connery, who became iconic for playing 007, actually regretted playing James Bond. Also, Connery's alarming comments about women have resurfaced, and they're surprising to say the least!

As for his personal life, the actor was first married to actress Diane Cilento, but they divorced in 1973. Connery went on to marry Micheline Roquebrune, after meeting in 1970, according to The Sun, and they were together until his death. 

Unfortunately, Roquebrune is facing allegations of tax fraud that are so serious she could wind up behind bars, per the New York Post. So in the midst of her grieving, she's dealing with this stress. Here's the full scoop.

Sir Sean Connery's widow, Micheline Roquebrune, is facing allegations of tax fraud, according to the New York Post. Roquebrune has denied any connection with a scam about the sale of their home in Marbella, Spain. According to The Sun, Roquebrune and Connery's Marbella home was sold in 1999 and was demolished in order to build 70 apartments, even though housing rules only allowed for five units.

According to The Sun, Connery's "lawyers, [the] mayor of Marbella and six councillors were jailed for the scam." In 2014, Connery was informed that he wouldn't have to face trial for what happened, but now, Spanish authorities are claiming that the case isn't over. Roquebrune is looking at close to $28 million in fines and even jail time, according to the New York Post.

The Sun was told by a source: "Formal requests have been sent twice to the Bahamas to notify Micheline about the prosecution indictment and the court-ordered trial against her, but Spanish officials have yet to receive a reply." However, per the Post, Roquebrune claims that the allegations of tax fraud are "nonsense."

Sir Sean Connery and his wife, Micheline Roquebrune, sold their home in Marbella, Spain in 1999, per the Economic Times, but the case has been going on for years.

Spanish officials called the case "Operation Goldfinger," a play on Connery's role as James Bond, according to The Guardian. An indictment claimed that Roquebrune took part in tax fraud after details showed that the sale of their Marbella home was irregular, the outlet states. The Guardian says, "prosecutors allege that Roquebrune conspired with lawyers and businessmen to hide profits from the sale."

The alleged plot, according to Forbes, charges Roquebrune with defrauding "the Spanish treasury of millions in taxes," claiming that she worked with lawyers to hide the profits from the sale. The other big part of the case involves planning permission for what was built on the property afterwards. The Guardian states that 70+ luxury units were built in the location when building laws permitted fewer living spaces. Not only that, but the profit from building the apartments came to roughly $62 million in U.S. dollars.

From the start, however, Roquebrune has denied any fraudulent behavior. The Economic Times cites her saying in an earlier interview: "These allegations of money-laundering are nonsense. We sold the property and that is it."

Interestingly, though Connery and Roquebrune were married at the time, the Scottish actor was cleared from the case years ago.

While the case has been ongoing for Michelle Roquebrune, Sean Connery was cleared from the case, dubbed "Operation Goldfinger" in 2014, per The Guardian. In response to an international arrest warrant, Connery supplied the Spanish courts with a 56-page affidavit, clearing his involvement in the case, the outlet says. As Forbes notes, "Connery's affidavit arrived two and a half years after it was requested and "over three years after Connery and his wife failed to appear in court."

The investigating magistrate, Alfredo Mondeja, was less than impressed with the delay and said of the situation: "Although the delays may have harmed the progress of the case, it's also true that if the suspects had observed the proper rules of conduct, namely a minimum level of cooperation with the judicial authorities, the fate of those suspects would have been clarified more than two years ago," per The Guardian.

Despite the ongoing nature of the case, Roquebrune continues to say it's nothing more than "nonsense."