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The court has already agreed the dismissal for five of the 35 investigated uThe magistrate says that the gifts to a municipal technician and the former president of the PP Altea were for “courtesy”.
The magistrate of the Court of Instruction number 1 of Benidorm investigating an alleged Russian money laundering scheme of organized crime has decreed the provisional dismissal for four others investigated in the case, including the former president of the PP of Altea. In the case, including the former head of the Civil Guard at the post of Altea and the former councilman and former president of the PP in the municipality of Altea, Jaime Sellés. It also leaves out of the case a municipal technician of the City Council of Altea and a tax and accounting advisor from Ibiza.
These four dismissals, decreed on the understanding that there is no evidence of the crimes for which they were arrested in December 2020 by the National Police, are added to the one agreed for the councilman of Security of Benidorm, Lorenzo Martínez Sola. There are still another 30 people and several companies investigated in the case opened at the request of the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Corruption and Organized Crime.
The judge points out that the gifts made to the former mayor and the technician of Altea were made by “courtesy” and have no criminal relevance. In the case of the lieutenant who was in charge of the post of the Civil Guard in Altea, promoted to captain during the investigation of the case and defended by the lawyer Roberto Sanchez, he was investigated for a crime of criminal organization by holding the Police that he made arrangements for the Russian lawyer based in the Marina Baixa
Alexey S., in order to obtain “sensitive information about possible police or judicial investigations on him or his circle”. However, the judge points out that there is insufficient evidence to show that this officer participated in the access to an alleged list of people who were to be arrested in this case that was being investigated under
The list was provided to one of the officers of the case, who was under investigation in Benidorm, including the mother of the lawyer Alexey S., as stated in the order.
The list was given to one of the Russian citizens under investigation and he gave it to the Russian lawyer, who called the lieutenant of the Civil Guard to ask for the person who had given the names.
The magistrate adds that “a third party foreign to this case” provided the names of the persons under investigation, but there is no record that the officer of the Civil Guard knew of the existence of the procedure. She also indicates that, beyond
the officer, who has counted from the beginning with the support of his colleagues because they fully believe in his innocence, had no contact with the rest of the investigated persons and did not participate in the laundering scheme nor had any knowledge of it.
Hams to the Town Hall
As for Jaime Sellés, former councilman and former president of the Popular Party in Altea, the judge rules out that there is evidence of the commission of crimes of bribery and influence peddling and specifies that he maintained with the Russian lawyer, investigated as one of the alleged ringleaders, a relationship of friendship, in addition to the affinity to the same political party, but the facts investigated lack “criminal relevance”.
The court order points out that there are no indications that Jaime Sellés influenced to remove a fine from Alexey or that he spoke with any official or official of the City Council of Altea for the approval of a campsite that he was planning.
planned. Regarding a gift received by Sellés or the hams that Alexey delivered to distribute among officials of the City Council of Altea, the judge states that the investigated did not deny it, but justified them by the friendship that united them. However, the magistrate points out that these gifts would fall within the cases excluded from the scope of criminal relevance by the Supreme Court, which states that it is “illogical to consider that a gift of negligible value can influence the fulfillment of the duties of the official or authority”.
Therefore, it indicates that the gift that Alexey was going to give to Jaime Sellés “may well be a small gift made as a mere courtesy devoid of criminal relevance,” the same as the hams delivered “in the City Council of Altea given the low value of the product,” according to the archiving order.
Regarding the municipal technician of Altea investigated for bribery for being in charge of approving the inspections of the homes of members of the organization, the magistrate emphasizes that there are not sufficient indications that he received money to expedite administrative procedures for the benefit of the owners of the houses.
Likewise, she indicates that a bottle of wine valued at 65 euros that was given to him and a stone that Alexey brought him from a trip could be small gifts made as a “mere courtesy”.
800,000 euros of Russian crime for a restaurant in Ibiza
One of the alleged laundering operations investigated by the Benidorm court is the sending of more than 800,000 euros to a company for the opening of the Avocado Queen restaurant in Ibiza. This money sent by the partners of the firm “allegedly has an illicit origin coming from activities related to Russian organized crime”. The judge has also closed the case for the tax and accounting advisor of this company in Ibiza as she considers that there are no indications that she knew the illicit activity of those involved or the criminal origin of the funds deposited in the company. The court also ruled out that she advised the plot to evade the laundering controls. P.CLOSED
18 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2022 INFORMATION
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