National Court Judge José Luis Calama admitted to handling three complaints filed against those responsible for the Madeira Invest Club (MIC), the investment office sponsored by far-right MEP Alvise Pérez and which closed unexpectedly on September 16 . The magistrate considers that this is “an alleged pyramid scam”.
In an order, the president of the Central Instruction Court Four rejects the request of one of the accused to prevent the Supreme Court from investigating the MEP Alvise Pérez, who received 100,000 euros in cash from the founder of this financial club. It clarifies that according to High Court doctrine, a reasoned statement must be sent to investigate an authorized person when indications of responsibility arise.
Calama admits and accumulates, with a favorable report from the prosecutor’s office, the three complaints presented by Ances, the National Association for the Defense of Spanish Consumption of Services, the Association of Cryptocurrency Users and the Association of People Affected by investments in cryptocurrencies, the latter representing a group of affected people. These complaints are directed against Álvaro Romillo as manager of MIC and against the company itself, among other officials and entities.
In his order, the judge indicates that once it has been determined that the facts are likely to constitute fraud, it appears “clearly” that they can constitute an offense of fraud and that they would fall within the jurisdiction of the National Court due to the number of victims and the amount allegedly defrauded.
The judge underlines that the overall damage reported by the accusations would amount to more than 11 million euros, a figure which exceeds the bar of seven million euros that the Supreme Court set as a parameter for granting jurisdiction to the Court national. In addition, the instructor uses functionality criteria to conclude that the National Court is the most favorable judicial body to deal with the investigation.
Furthermore, the magistrate warns that a complex investigation is emerging, with a criminal network made up of multiple instrumental companies and international connections, with addresses in Portugal, the United States, the Dominican Republic, Estonia and in Albania. A circumstance which will require the use of “international legal cooperation instruments” to determine the nature and circumstances of the events and those responsible, as well as to locate financial assets.
This procedure is taking place in parallel with that initiated after the confession of Romillo – alias Luis CryptoSpain –, who wrote a letter to the State Attorney General’s Office in which he claimed to have paid 100,000 euros in cash to Alvise Pérez. This document is already in the hands of the Public Prosecutor’s Office representation at the Supreme Court, which is studying whether there could be a crime of illegal financing in the collection of this money by the current MEP. In his letter to the prosecutor’s office, Romillo offered to liquidate his assets to compensate investors, who could number several hundred and who would have lost tens of millions of euros, according to the aforementioned complaints.
