Kickboxing Champion Jamal Ben Saddik Faces Money Laundering Charges in Belgian Court

Ben Saddik was arrested in 2021 after the police intercepted telephone messages between him and his Dutch friend Emad N., a landscape contractor at whose home 500,000 euros in cash were found. The kickboxing champion had spent a month and a half in detention before being released. He is currently under investigation for money laundering.

During Friday’s hearing, the prosecutor indicated that the Belgian-Moroccan is accused of having laundered more than 100,000 euros with the complicity of his brother and his Dutch friend, reports the Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws. Thus, the prosecutor requested 40 months in prison against Ben Saddik, 30 months against his brother and four years against his friend.

The kickboxer recently received a six-month suspension for his unsportsmanlike gesture towards Rico Verhoeven, during the semi-final of the Glory Prize on March 9. In an interview on the Dutch show Renze, Ben Saddik said he had taken note of the sanction, but disapproved of the way it was taken. The fighter regrets that Glory did not deign to collect his version of the facts before suspending him.

Ben Saddik also took the opportunity to challenge his eternal rival Verhoeven again. "You know better than anyone that I am your only true opponent. Give the fans what they want. If it’s not at Glory, we’ll fight elsewhere." This fight may not take place, as the Belgian-Moroccan was diagnosed with cancer at the beginning of this year.