Three lawyers have been accused of stealing more than €1million from the estates of dead British expats on the Costa del Sol.
The trio have been arrested and another 11 people are under investigation after police uncovered the alleged criminal network operating out of Nerja, and Almuñecar (in neighbouring Granada).
A Spanish bank’s fraud department first raised the alarm after detecting suspicious cash withdrawals from the account of a dead British pensioner.
According to the Guardia Civil, the Brit’s account had continued operating normally, with a lawyer from Nerja listed as an authorised signatory using what police believe were falsified documents.
The victim’s date of birth had even been altered to make him appear 20 years younger when the account was opened.
Further inquiries identified two lawyers from Nerja as being behind the withdrawals.
They were both working in firms specialising in property transactions and inheritance cases involving foreign residents in the Axarquia.
Fake handwritten will
The investigation then uncovered a second alleged fraud involving the estate of an elderly ‘foreign’ woman who died in a nursing home.
Police say the suspects created a forged handwritten will purportedly written by the woman, which left a sizeable inheritance to the other victim.
Members of the network then allegedly acted as witnesses to falsely verify the will and an invented romantic relationship between the woman and the deceased British pensioner.
In other words, they created fake documents that said the pair had got married or were officially registered as a couple – so that the dead British man’s accounts, which the suspects had control of, would inherit her life savings.
The woman had been admitted to the care home after intervention by Nerja’s social services, with neighbours previously providing her with food and clothing due to mental health problems.
Son in Switzerland never received inheritance
Investigators tracked down the woman’s legitimate heir – a son living in Switzerland with whom she reportedly had little contact.
Police said one of the arrested lawyers contacted him, asking him to sign a power of attorney so the inheritance could supposedly be transferred.
Believing his mother only owned an apartment in Nerja, he agreed.
However, he never received any inheritance and later reported the matter to Swiss authorities.
Luxury assets and cash seized
The Guardia Civil alleges the group spent years laundering the proceeds through property transactions, sham family donations, vehicle sales, investment funds, cash withdrawals and bank transfers designed to make the money appear legitimate.
Investigators estimate the alleged criminal enterprise generated more than €1 million.
During seven searches in Nerja and Almuñecar, officers seized €200,000 in cash, jewellery, electronic devices and personal documents belonging to deceased elderly people.
Three people have been arrested while a further 11 remain under investigation for offences including fraud, document forgery, identity theft, unlawful appropriation of property, money laundering and membership of a criminal organisation.
Two of the three arrested suspects have been remanded in custody as the investigation continues. Police are now trying to establish whether there are additional victims linked to the alleged scheme.
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