(CNN Español) – Former Spanish ambassador to Venezuela Raul Moroto was sentenced this Monday to 10 months in prison for crimes against the public treasury for concealing nearly 4,500,000 euros (US$ 4,911,930) received by his son Alejo, who was involved in business with state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) between 2013 and 2014, EFE reported. The news agency reported.
CNN en Español has contacted PDVSA and Morodo’s legal team for comment.
In a Spanish national court, the father and son agreed to plead guilty to charges brought by the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office, the public prosecutor’s office and the Manos Medicas group.
The initial fine requested by the prosecutor’s office was higher, but according to EFE, the two reached a deal totaling 1,410,000 euros (US$ 1,539,071), with the conditions of admitting the facts and repairing the damage used with the Spanish Treasury.
Ana Caterina Varandas, the wife of the ex-ambassador’s son, whose charges were dropped by the state prosecutor’s office, told the trial she pleaded not guilty. He faces a request from the prosecutor’s office for an eight-and-a-half-year prison sentence, and has been charged with two tax crimes with clean hands.
According to the news agency, the prosecutor’s request to confiscate 340,000 euros (US$371,123) in alleged ill-gotten gains for Alejo Moroto in 2011 and 2012 and a property in Madrid is under investigation. It is not included in the contracts.
The Clean Hands Group decided to drop charges of money laundering and membership of a criminal organization.
The prosecutor’s office indicates that Raúl Moroto had contacts with senior Venezuelan officials between 2004 and 2007, during which he was ambassador to Spain, under the mandate of President José Luis Rodríguez Sabatero.
Taking advantage of this situation, his son Alejo began an alleged contractual relationship with PDVSA in 2007 to provide fictitious legal advice and international consulting services, which extended to 2014 and generated significant income.
Alejo Moroto used three front companies to invoice these alleged services, thereby avoiding paying personal income tax (IRPF) and benefiting from a lower tax rate through corporate tax, the prosecutor’s office describes.
It pointed out that Raúl Moroto and Ana Varandas were part of “this illegal operation” and that the former ambassador hid from the Treasury the income he received through these two companies.
With information from EFE
