Caja Madrid credit card scandal
The Caja Madrid credit card scandal (Spanish term: tarjeta black or tarjeta opaca ) refers to the abuse of credit cards by the management elite of the Spanish bank Caja Madrid between 2003 and 2012.
The events were triggered because the Spanish anti-corruption agency launched an investigation into 86 directors, executives and board members of the former Caja Madrid. It is about possible economic crimes, illicit enrichment and tax evasion. From a technical point of view, this is a misuse of a common practice: it is common in Spanish business to use company credit cards to pay for expenses for a company without cash. For example, employees are often given credit cards to pay for expenses on business trips and business lunches . Their operational booking is then comparatively uncomplicated.
In the case of the black cards , however, it is not a question of expenses, but of exclusive Visa brand credit cards , which the bank has made available to its own management staff for private expenses without any earmarking. In addition, there is a high likelihood of tax evasion.
Extent of credit card fraud
The credit cards were issued by the company from 2003 and used until 2012. During this period, sales and cash withdrawals amounting to € 15.2 million were paid with these credit cards. Of the 86 known owners of these credit cards, there are three who, according to the current state of knowledge, have not used them, and 83 owners who have enriched themselves with them.
On February 23, 2017, the main culprits, former bank managers Rodrigo Rato and Miguel Blesa, were sentenced to four and a half and six years in prison, respectively, for misappropriating funds. On July 19, Blesa was found dead in his hunting estate near Cordoba. On October 3, 2018, Spain's Supreme Court , the Tribunal Supremo, upheld Blesa and Rato's sentences. A few other defendants have had their sentences reduced due to compensation payments.
Beneficiaries of the card
The range of the respective withdrawals ranges from € 484,000 in ten years to € 1,100. The following people have availed themselves. The order results from the amount of the amounts:
- Ildefonso José Sánchez Barcoj , General Manager, € 484,200
- José Antonio Moral Santín , Vice President, Politician, € 456,000
- Ricardo Morado
- Miguel Blesa , Chairman of the Board
- Ramon Ferraz
- Matias Amat
- Mariano Pérez Claver
- Enrique de la Torre
- Juan Manuel Astorqui
- Mercedes de la Merced , politician
- Carlos María Martinez
- Carmen Contreras
- Francisco Baquero
- Estanislao Rodríguez-Ponga , State Secretary for Finance
- Antonio Romero
- Carlos Vela
- Pablo Abejas
- Ruben Cruz
- Rafael Spottorno , diplomat
- Muguel Ángel Araujo
- Ricardo R. de Tejada y Picatos ..
- José María de la Riva , politician
- Ignacio de Navasques Cobián
- Antonio Rey de Viñas
- Ramón Espinar , politician
- Antonio Cámara
- José Manuel Fernández Norni ..
- María Carmen Cafranga
- Javier de Miguel
- Angel Eugenio Gómez de Pul ..
- Rodolfo Benito , trade unionist
- Alberto Recarte
- Luis Gabarda
- José María Arteta
- Guillermo Ricardo Marcos Gue ..
- Jesús Pedroche , politician
- Gonyalo Martín Pascual
- Juan Gomez Castañeda
- Francisco José Moure
- Francisco José Pérez Ferdinánd ..
- Mercedes Rojo
- Miguiel Ángel Abejón
- Pedro Bugidos Garay
- Juan Jose Azcona
- Jorge Gómez Moreno
- Gerardo Díaz Ferrán , entrepreneur
- Ramón Martinez
- Rafael Eduardo Torres
- Cándido Cerón
- Fernando Serrano
- Pedro Bedia
- Elena Gil
- Alejandro Couceiro Ojeda
- Darío Fernández Yruegas
- José María Buenaventura
- José Acosta (politician)
- Beltrán Gutiérrez
- Luis Blasco Bosqued
- José María Fernández del Río
- María Enedina älvarez Gayol
- Juan Emilio Iranzo
- Miguiel Corsini
- Santiago Javier Sánchez Carlos
- José Ricardo Martínez
- Rodrigo Rato
- Domingo Navalmoral
- Arturo Luis Fernández Álvarez
- Manuel José Rodriguez Gonzá ..
- Virgilio Zapatero , politician
- Ignacio Varela
- Francisco Javier López Madrid , entrepreneur and consultant to the OHL . Was able to reduce his sentence by making repayments.
- Rafael Pradillo
- José Carlos Contreras
- Joaquín García Pontes , politician
- Ignacio del Río
- Miquel Muñiz de las Cuevas
- Gabriel Maria Moreno , trade unionist
- Ángel Rizaldos
- José Nieto (politician)
- José Caballero , politician
- José Luis Acero Benedicto
- Jorge Rábago
- José María Garcia (the smallest amount at 1100 €)
Web links
- Leo Wieland: Resignations in Spain after the black credit card affair , FAZ, October 5, 2014
Individual evidence
- ↑ Leo Wieland: Land of Cockaigne in Spain's largest bankrupt bank , FAZ , October 4, 2014, p. 19
- ↑ La Fiscalía pide investigar a 86 directivos de Caja Madrid por cargar gastos privados a la entidad (Spanish)
- ^ "La Audiencia condena a seis años de prisión a Blesa ya cuatro años y medio a Rato por las tarjetas black". In: El Mundo of February 23, 2017, accessed on February 24, 2017.
- ↑ spiegel.de: Spanish ex-bank boss Blesa found dead
- ↑ El Pais: Tribunal Supremo mantiene a Rodrigo Rato la condena de cuatro años y medio por las tarjetas 'black'
- ↑ La lista completa de los 86 consejeros y ejecutivos que usaron las 'tarjetas opacas' de Caja Madrid (Spanish)
- ^ Unclear: Antonio Romero Ruiz es: Antonio Romero Ruiz
- ↑ not the professional soccer player Carlos Vela
- ↑ El juez deja en libertad al empresario Javier López Madrid tras su detención por el pago de comisiones , in: El País of April 22, 2017, accessed on the same day.
- ^ Ignacio del Río, not the painter, but a member of the board of directors
- ^ Gabriel María Moreno Flores, not the artist Gabriel Moreno