The 27 companies and the kickbacks Spain's tax agency never saw

Twenty-seven companies and not a single alert: the alleged scheme moving kickbacks without the tax authorities noticing

A citizen who moves 500 euros between their own accounts can end up with their bank account frozen and spend a week justifying every last cent. Meanwhile, a web of 27 companies, according to published reports, allegedly moves kickbacks of 200,000 euros per ship without the anti-money-laundering systems saying a word. The paradox sums up the state of the debate over the case linking two young businesswomen to a former Prime Minister of Spain.

The mechanics of the alleged diversion: dividends and fake invoices

The scheme, as described in the analysis, would be relatively simple: two companies linked to people close to the former prime minister would invoice services that were never provided, paying Corporate Tax and thereby "laundering" the money from alleged illegal kickbacks. The companies would then distribute those funds to their shareholders as dividends, which would be declared in personal income tax. On paper, the whole thing would have an impeccable tax trail. The problem, as one analysis points out, would not be the trail of money already obtained, but its origin: illegal kickbacks for influence peddling, according to the investigation.

The mention of accounts at Santander and Caixabank has fuelled suspicions that the transactions were carried out without triggering the banking alerts that do go off when an ordinary customer makes transfers of trivial amounts.

Ordinary citizens under the microscope; the powerful on a red carpet

The comparison with everyday experience is damning. There are accounts of users whose accounts were frozen over transfers between Spanish banks, their own money, with all documentation in order. Complaining can be resolved with an SMS the next day, but with no formal explanation whatsoever. The tax agency, for its part, launches parallel inspections over 10-euro errors on a tax return, while alleged transactions of hundreds of thousands of euros trigger no filter at all.

This is not about defending anyone's opacity, but about pointing out the asymmetry. While a self-employed worker who earns 800 euros on the side is pursued, some people can move money between companies in different countries with the apparent blessing of administrative silence.

From jewellery to gold and oil: the trail left open

The reports suggest that the jewellery case or the Plus Ultra bailout would be "small change" compared with what might lie behind it: kickbacks of approximately 200,000 euros per ship on gold and oil exports, according to the investigation cited. If so, the 27 companies would not be a one-off instrument, but a machine built to cover the money's tracks.

The question hanging in the air is whether the real problem is the origin of those funds or the impunity with which they move. Who watches the watchmen, after all.