“The sensational case of laundering criminal capital in Spain, which was opened as a result of a large-scale police operation code-named ‘White Whale’, is ready for trial,” said a court representative in the resort town of Marbella (southern Spain), where the trial will take place. According to him, “the case involves 22 defendants, including Spanish lawyers, notaries and their foreign clients — alleged members of criminal groups from Russia, Italy, Finland and Morocco.”
“As the investigation established, lawyer Fernando Del Valle, who operated in Marbella, and his accomplices provided money laundering services to representatives of criminal groups from various countries,” said the court representative, who declined to name the clients of the Spanish lawyer. The judicial official explained that “Del Valle opened 523 different joint-stock companies, through which he laundered at least €152 million of his clients, which the investigation believes were obtained from theft, drug trafficking, racketeering, arms and women trafficking.” “Three Spanish notaries involved in the case formalized transactions for opening businesses and real estate deals on behalf of front men,” the agency’s interlocutor noted.
Operation White Whale, during which 41 people were detained, including several Russians, caused a great public outcry. Initially, the case involved, in particular, the Russian concern YUKOS. As the local press wrote, Spanish investigators suspected that part of the money that ended up in Spain and passed through Del Valle’s law office was obtained as a result of “illegal withdrawal of funds from the Russian oil concern YUKOS.” Any details of the case, which Spanish investigators had classified, were not reported in the last two years while the investigation was ongoing.
Based on materials from RIA Novosti.