The 60-year-old British travel agent who embezzled almost £280,000 in client cash intended for airlines including British Airways has been given an 11-month suspended sentence by Spanish court
- Nicola Roberts, 60, admitted embezzling almost £280,000 from airlines
- She has returned most of it but still owes £8,980 in interest
- She received a suspended sentence of eleven months
A British travel agent has been given an 11-month suspended prison sentence by a Spanish court after admitting embezzling cash intended for airlines including British Airways.
Nicola Roberts, 60, was accused of embezzling almost £280,000 of customer money that she failed to pass on to the airlines as their agent following a long-running investigation by prosecutors in Mallorca.
She was warned that she could be jailed for up to 18 months if she appeared in court and was found guilty.
During a hearing yesterday at a court in the Mallorcan capital Palma, Roberts admitted wrongdoing after reaching a plea agreement.
Her prison sentence was automatically suspended as part of the negotiated agreement.
Nicola Roberts, 60, (pictured) was accused of embezzling almost £280,000 of customer money that she failed to pass on to the airlines as their agent
The Spanish court has given Roberts a suspended sentence of eleven months
Prosecutors accused the travel boss of embezzling almost €325,000 (£278,000) from airlines including British Airways and Lufthansa
Prosecutors accused the travel boss of embezzling almost €325,000 (£278,000) from airlines including British Airways and Lufthansa in December 2019 and January 2020
In a three-page pretrial complaint, they also highlighted the fact that she had returned most of the money she had kept from airline ticket sales rather than passing it on to the companies she represented.
At the time, she was the sole owner of Ticket Agencia de Viajes, based in the town of Portals Nous, a 10-minute drive from the popular British holiday resort of Magaluf.
Her refunds to the airlines were taken into account as a mitigating circumstance.
Roberts is said to have paid back all the money she was accused of before yesterday’s hearing, but still owes €10,500 in interest.
She will also pay legal fees and a small fine as part of her settlement.
Her sentence was read out at the Audiencia provincial court in Palma. The pre-trial indictment provided no information about why Roberts kept the money.