Judge José Luis Calama orders the AEAT to halt tax investigations against Zapatero, his family, and his alleged frontman, who refuse to cooperate with the tax agency.
Judge José Luis Calama has ordered the Tax Agency to suspend the tax investigations opened against José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, his family, and his alleged frontman, Julio Martínez Martínez. This measure is based on the fact that all of them refuse to cooperate with the AEAT while the criminal proceedings in which they are being investigated remain open.
Calama had previously ruled out halting the process, considering that the tax route could complement his instruction. A new document from the AEAT, according to the ruling accessed by Libertad Digital, has made him change his position, as the individuals under investigation have denied any form of collaboration, claiming they are charged with the same facts.
The AEAT could not suspend the proceedings on its own and required an order from a magistrate. It had requested the suspension to avoid missing deadlines and warned that if the judge does not send the case to trial for tax crimes, it could impose administrative sanctions once the judicial process concludes.
In the ruling, the magistrate states that there is a blockage of the inspection proceedings resulting from the position of all the tax obligors:
“an express decision not to provide any documentation that may be connected to the object of the criminal proceedings”
The order also extends to the company What The Fav, whose investigation is suspended just like that of the other individuals under investigation. Regarding Julio Martínez Martínez, the judge additionally orders the suspension of inquiries into up to 16 companies that, according to the investigation, he would have used to conceal the true origin of his earnings.
The tax investigations are on hold until the criminal process concludes. If there is no trial for tax crimes, the AEAT may resume the administrative route and impose sanctions.
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