Spanish
Madrid (EFE). — The evangelical pastor accused of embezzlement for the alleged theft of more than 500,000 euros donated by former Atlético de Madrid footballer Jackson Martínez denied the facts this Tuesday and assured that the Colombian ex-player was informed and authorized all the movements made with the money.
You may be interested in:May of 2025 left indelible marks on the sport of America
The Provincial Court of Madrid held the trial against Tomás G.M., for whom the Prosecutor's Office requests four years in prison, a fine of 3,000 euros and the payment of compensation of 516,271 euros, an amount that would correspond to donations made to the church he directed.
According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the accused took advantage of his access to the congregation's bank account to make 17 withdrawals and transfers to his personal account, with amounts of up to 100,000 euros, under concepts such as “advance” or “salary”. The prosecutor maintains that the total embezzlement amounts to 516,271 euros, entirely from contributions made by Jackson Martínez. The accusation also stated that the pastor used part of the money to purchase a vehicle valued at more than 30,000 euros, cancel his mortgage and give 260,000 euros to his son for the acquisition of a chalet in Boadilla del Monte (Madrid). During the oral hearing, the church treasurer stated that upon detecting a donation of 250,000 euros, the pastor asked him to "say nothing" to the faithful, alleging that the donor did not want it to be made public, a fact that Jackson Martínez himself denied before the court. The former soccer player, who is currently dedicated to Christian music, confirmed that he donated more than half a million euros with the aim of supporting the spread of the gospel and explained that in 2020 he discovered that the funds had not been allocated to the church. He assured that he asked the pastor for the return of the money, without success. Several members of the congregation testified and stated that they became aware of the embezzlement after an internal uproar caused by other accusations affecting the pastor, who was finally unanimously expelled from the church. The defense maintained that the chalet acquired in Boadilla del Monte functioned as the church headquarters, although the witnesses qualified that religious activities were usually carried out in different homes of the faithful. The son of the accused acknowledged that the house is in his name and that he, his father, and the latter's wife reside there. Tomás G.M. only answered his lawyer's questions and reiterated that he informed Jackson Martínez "by phone" of all financial movements, assuring that it was the former footballer himself who authorized the purchase of the vehicle and the property. The accused denied ever having received a formal request to return the money and emphasized that the complaint comes from the current members of the church and not directly from the donor.
