A SPANISH bricklayer became an overnight multimillionaire, but his luck soon came crashing down.
Francisco Guerrero scooped a £5.7million lottery jackpot in 2005 before losing it all due to a tragic mistake.
On December 14, 2005, Francisco knew he had won the lottery but had no idea that the amount was millions.
“I thought the prize was [the old currency of] pesetas because in euros the amount escaped me,” he recalled.
The Spaniard was careful with the money – after two years he hadn’t touched a penny and instead wanted to invest it for his children’s futures.
Francisco took a huge risk and it didn’t pay off.
The lottery winner from Castellón didn’t know “anything about banks”, but placed his trust in a banker.
“[He] told me that the money would be in a good place, that it was fixed term without risk,” cried Francisco.
He claims that the banker advised him to invest the huge cash load into financial products, which turned out to be a terrible mistake.
“I didn’t even know what it was. I trusted them blindly and they destroyed my life.”
Francisco only realised what had happened when he went to the bank to withdraw cash for a costly knee operation, but his account showed up as empty.
The self-employed Spaniard ending up losing not only all of his lottery millions but also the properties he had spent his entire life saving up for to cover the debts of his toxic portfolio.
Without the money ever crossing his hands, the overnight millionaire was left with nothing.
For over a decade, Francisco and his family have thrown lawsuits at the bank that advised the bad investments and even though he has won some, he claims its not enough to cover the debts.
Francisco, who had once been very content with his life prior to his lottery win, told EuroWeekly: “I am dead in life”.
He is back working as a bricklayer and has been unable to cover the mortgage payments on his house.
“I live as a ‘squatter’ in my own home,” he said.
A psychiatric report that accompanied the latest legal lawsuit claims Francisco now suffers from depression and anxiety that was triggered by the banking conflict.
“I am in psychological treatment; I am sick. I don’t deserve it.”
Francisco still has faith in the justice system and hopes that one day he will eventually get some of his money back.
“It’s not good what they have done with me, no. I was happy before. The happiest in the world,” he said sadly.
