Joint operation by the Tax Agency and the National Police

• Eight people arrested, including the official responsible for issuing the technical reports that, allegedly, had favored companies that opted for road works contracts in the region, as well as the administrators of four successful companies.

• Searches have been carried out in the office of the main investigator in the Department of Public Works of the Government of Cantabria, in the headquarters of the successful bidders and in the private homes of the members of the plot.

• During the search at the home of the investigated official, 530,000 euros were discovered in a safe hidden in a wall and a money counting machine.

February 24, 2023 .- The Tax Agency and the National Police, within the framework of a joint operation, have dismantled a fraud scheme in the contracting of public works in Cantabria. Within the framework of the operation, eight people have been arrested, including the official responsible for issuing technical reports that, allegedly, would have favored companies that opted for road contracts in the region. Likewise, the administrators of four companies awarded these contracts have been arrested.

The arrests have been accompanied by searches in the office of the official in the Department of Public Works of the Government of Cantabria, in the headquarters of the successful companies and in the private homes of the members of the plot. Those arrested are charged with the crimes of bribery, contracting fraud and money laundering.

The investigation begins in the first months of 2022, when officials from the Special Delegation of the Tax Agency in Cantabria become aware of the possible participation of a senior official of the Government of Cantabria in the manipulation of public works contract awards in the region.

By issuing technical reports and participating in the contracting tables, this person would have managed to ensure that a series of companies were awarded contracts. In turn, AEAT investigators detected signs of economic enrichment of the official's closest family unit.

After the first actions, a joint team is formed with the UDEF of the National Police and the actions are prosecuted, which from that moment is directed by the Investigative Court number 5 of Santander.

Unjustified increase in assets

At first, the Customs Surveillance Operational Unit of the Tax Agency in Cantabria was able to determine that the official's family group had experienced a significant increase in unjustified assets during the period 2013 to 2022, which can be estimated at several million euros.

The senior official intervened in the preparation of offers from specific bidders, allegedly issuing an arbitrary assessment of the subjective bid evaluation criteria and expelling other potential bidders. To do this, it would modify prices, negotiate the terms of tenders with concerted companies and make use of privileged information.

Vehicles and gifts paid for by the successful bidders

According to the investigations carried out, the main person investigated in the plot, together with his family environment, would have designed a strategy to introduce into the legal circuit of money the significant amounts that he received, predictably, in the form of illegal commissions. Additionally, it has been confirmed that the aforementioned family environment enjoyed various gifts and a vehicle whose rental contract was paid for by one of the companies that was awarded public works contracts in whose technical reports the investigated party directly participated.

Registrations and account blocks

The exploitation phase of the operation was completed last Wednesday with the arrest of all those investigated, while entries and searches were carried out at the home of the main investigated, the office where he works in the Department of Public Works of the Government of Cantabria, the registered offices of the companies awarded the contracts whose collusion has been revealed throughout the investigation and the corresponding private addresses of the directors of these companies, all of them in Cantabria.

During the search carried out at the home of the investigated official, 530,000 euros were detected in a safe hidden in a wall and a money counting machine.

Abundant documentation has also been seized in the searches, both in paper and computer format, which will allow the investigation to continue advancing. Likewise, bank accounts and financial assets amounting to several million euros have been blocked, as well as other assets that those investigated may have at their disposal. The operation remains open and new actions are not ruled out.