Sánchez's brother bought Portuguese mansion with two checks

Sánchez's brother bought Portuguese mansion with two checks

How does one buy a mansion in Portugal on a €55,000 annual salary? This question has circulated since it emerged that David Sánchez, the Spanish Prime Minister's brother, acquired a property built atop a medieval castle in Elvas (Portugal) and paid for it with two bank checks. Reports indicate the price was €240,000 for a building listed at €1.5 million. According to available data, the transaction was formalized via checks, an instrument that complicates money tracking.

The debate over the Prime Minister's brother's assets is not new, but the detail regarding the checks has peine controversy about the opacity of such payments and tax residency in Portugal.

What is known about the mansion and the checks

The property is located in Elvas, a Portuguese town near Badajoz, and reportedly built on a medieval castle. The cited purchase price is €240,000, far below the €1.5 million listing. Payment was made with two bank checks, a method argued to be equivalent to a transfer if not bearer instruments, but which hinders tracing when issued without identifying the final recipient.

Some argue that checks are a common payment method in notaries for real estate transactions. Others counter that their use became widespread specifically for unreported large cash payments, due to lower traceability and higher costs compared to transfers. This discrepancy is significant: it determines whether the operation is viewed as a normal purchase or an act of opacity.

Assets attributed to Sánchez's brother

Attributed assets include three apartments and a garage in Madrid, an apartment in St. Petersburg, another in Elvas, €63,880 in cryptocurrencies, €114,073 in bank accounts, and €1.4 million in BBVA shares. The total significantly exceeds what can be accumulated with a gross annual salary of €55,000. A detailed breakdown reveals a surprising difference.

The brother's career includes being hired as a senior official at the Provincial Council of Badajoz (Fruta de Badajoz), led by the PSOE, in a position created shortly after his brother assumed the party's general secretary role. His duties included directing the Ópera Joven music office. His tax residency is registered in Portugal, from where he teleworks for the Provincial Council.

Tax residency in Portugal and teleworking

Establishing residency in Portugal to pay fewer taxes is one of the most discussed points. The lingering question is which officer at the Spanish Tax Agency (Agencia Tributaria) accepted this foreign residency while denying it to other taxpayers in similar situations. The issue is complex: if his main income source is in Spain, the obligation to pay taxes there is difficult to evade.

Teleworking as a justification for physical absence from the workplace is another pillar of the case. It is argued that the remote position allows receiving a salary without presence, a modern version of classic nepotism. No one knows exactly what he does, but he gets paid.

Political reactions and use of the case

The news has been met with skepticism by some sectors and indignation by others. One line of analysis claims it is a hoax without proof, while another considers the accumulation of evidence demands explanations. The case has become political ammunition amid government weariness.

Comparisons with other corruption cases involving relatives of politicians from different parties are inevitable. Each bloc highlights its own cases and minimizes those of opponents. Meanwhile, the judiciary has not charged David Sánchez with these facts, and there is no final conviction.

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With these elements, the narrative constructs itself. The question is not whether someone earning €55,000 a year can afford a mansion in Portugal, but how many checks are needed so that no one asks.