BERLIN (AP) — A German court ordered a partial retrial for two Croatian men found guilty in a match-fixing scandal that rattled Europe’s soccer establishment and sparked prosecutions across the continent.
Ante Sapina and Marijo Cvrtak were sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison last year for their part in the manipulation of more than 20 games that included a qualifying match for the 2010 World Cup. The men earned millions from bets on the fixed matches.
Prosecutors complained that the verdict by a regional court in the western city of Bochum didn’t adequately consider the seriousness of the fraud committed by the men, and argued that Sapina’s deeds should be considered organized crime. Sapina’s lawyer, meanwhile, claimed that the Bochum court didn’t properly credit his client’s cooperation with authorities, which should have led to a reduced sentence.
Germany’s Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe agreed with the complaints and sent the case back to the lower court on Thursday. In particular, the Bochum court will now have to decide whether the two men’s actions constituted attempted or actual fraud, and what financial damages were suffered by people who placed bets on the fixed games. The retrial is unlikely to completely reverse the guilty verdicts but could lengthen or shorten the sentences the men will have to serve.
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German court overturns match-fixing sentences
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