Marileidy Paulino declines house donation from businessman

Santo Domingo.- Olympic gold medalist Marileidy Paulino clarified on Tuesday that she has declined a house offered by businessman Antonio Carbone as a reward for her recent victory at the Olympic Games in Paris, France. In a statement on social media, Paulino explained that her team contacted Carbone’s representative to refuse the donation, suggesting instead that the house or its value be given to a non-profit organization.

The house, announced shortly after Paulino’s gold medal win, was to be a fully furnished home built in her maternal hometown of Don Gregorio, Nizao, in the Peravia province, in collaboration with the Carolina Denis Foundation.

Antonio Carbone, an Italian-Canadian businessman, was initially sentenced to 20 years in prison in the Dominican Republic for attempted murder in 2015 but was released after serving 9 years. His release was granted following a habeas corpus appeal that cited violations of his fundamental rights. Carbone was also acquitted in a separate alleged fraud case.