The Palma Court judged an 80-year-old man yesterday accused of defrauding a nautical company in Can Picafort of 850,000 euros in 2008. The accused, a resident of Marbella, exercised his right not to testify.
The trial against an octogenarian for an alleged fraud of 850,000 euros against a nautical company in Can Picafort took place yesterday at the Palma Court. The accused, 80 years old and residing in Marbella, chose not to testify before the court of the First Section. The victim, one of the partners of the affected company, did not appear as he is wanted for culpable insolvency, according to the defence lawyer.
A key witness reveals the trail of the money
The hearing was brief and focused on the testimony of a witness who worked with the suspect between 2007 and 2009. He stated that the accused received “a large amount of money” from the victim. “I know he received the money and that the cheques were cashed in Madrid. But I don’t know what he did with the 850,000 euros,” he declared via videoconference.
The witness detailed that the victim handed over three promissory notes to the accused, which were cashed at a bank in Madrid near the Bernabéu Stadium. “I know there were problems with that deal,” he added. According to his account, the accused did not answer the victim's calls and kept putting him off. “He didn’t want to get on the phone to talk about the cheque issue,” he emphasised.
The accused was trying to buy in Puerto Portals
The witness revealed that the octogenarian “was trying to buy something in Mallorca, in Puerto Portals I believe”. The victim trusted his financial capacity and hoped he would help him after the crisis. However, the accused “had a tremendous amount of debt”, according to the consultant who acted as an intermediary. He claimed to have seen the promissory notes but did not witness the delivery of the cheques.
The prosecutor maintains his request for three and a half years in prison and a fine of nine months at 20 euros a day for an aggravated fraud offence. Additionally, he demands that the suspect compensate the nautical company with 850,000 euros. The private prosecution raises the sentence to six years in prison, considering the deception proven: the accused allegedly presented himself as a successful businessman to gain the victim's trust.
For the residents of Can Picafort, this case serves as a reminder of the importance of verifying the credentials of those offering investments. The trial is now awaiting a verdict, and the court must decide whether the octogenarian is guilty of a fraud that could have ruined a local company.
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