MARBELLA Spain: Sean Connery and his wife, ordered to testify in Spain Friday in a property scandal probe, have written to the judge saying they are unable to attend for health reasons, a court source said. In a letter, the 80-year-old film star best known for his portrayal of James Bond, said that because of their “age and state of health” they cannot travel to the Marbella court from their home in the Bahamas, the source said. The judge was now studying whether to send officials to question the couple at their residence in the Bahamas, the source said. Dozens of journalists had gathered outside the court in the jet-set resort of Marbella Friday morning for the couple's expected appearance. The Oscar-winning actor was named in May in the investigation dubbed “Goldfinger” after the 1964 James Bond film and which involves the sale of his luxury seaside villa near the jet-set resort of Marbella. Connery sold the villa, named Malibu, in 1999 reportedly for around $9 million (6.5 million euros). The villa was subsequently knocked down, and a four-storey luxury apartment complex with 72 flats was built on the land where it once stood in 2004-2005, despite planning rules which said only five homes could be constructed on it. In May police raided the Madrid and Marbella offices of a law firm which is believed to have handled the sale of the firm. The Scottish actor and his French-born wife, Micheline, were subpoenaed earlier this month to appear before the judge in Marbella Friday. The two have not been arrested and are not facing any charges in the case. – Agence France
