Informer Veljkovic makes deal to escape prison

One of the leading figures in the match-fixing scandal that has beset Belgian football in recent months has struck a deal with the Judicial Authorities that will see him escape jail. Dejan Veljkovic has told the Judicial Authorities all he knows and has admitted his part in the affair. In return he will be given a 5 year suspended sentence and a fine of 80,000 that is also suspended. 

He had originally risked a prison sentence of up to 15 years. As both his sentence are suspended, he was released from prison on Monday evening.  

In addition to his full cooperation with the investigation, Dejan Veljkovic will also have to hand over all the assets that he has accrued through illegal activity. The daily ‘Het Laatste Nieuws’ reports that this will be between 5 and 10 million euro, or as much as 80% of his fortune.

The assets consist of cash spread over a number of bank accounts and real estate. The villa he is currently building in Schoten, near Antwerp and a number of other properties are to be confiscated.

However, Mr Veljkovic will be allowed to keep some of his properties, including the flat in where his father lives. Mr Veljkovic is the first suspect to do a deal with the Judicial Authorities under new rules on sentence reduction for informers that offer their full cooperation that were brought in earlier this year.      

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