The Civil Guard has arrested three people, including two lawyers, accused of appropriating inheritances from deceased foreign citizens in Axarquía. The network allegedly obtained over one million euros through false documentation.
The Civil Guard has dismantled a criminal organisation that was dedicated to seizing the inheritances of deceased foreign citizens in the Malaga region of Axarquía. Operation 'Donova' has resulted in the arrest of three individuals, two of whom have been remanded in custody, and the investigation of another eleven for crimes of fraud, document forgery, usurpation of civil status, misappropriation, money laundering, and belonging to a criminal group.
The investigation began following a report from the fraud department of a banking institution, which alerted to continuous cash withdrawals from the account of an elderly British citizen. Agents confirmed that the account holder had passed away, but the account remained operational and a lawyer from Nerja was listed as authorised with full powers obtained through allegedly forged documentation.
The inquiries allowed the identification of those responsible for the cash withdrawals, including two lawyers with offices in Nerja specialising in real estate operations and inheritances of foreign citizens residing in the area. According to the Civil Guard, the three lawyers had developed over the years a complex network of real estate operations, simulated donations, fictitious sales of vehicles, financial investments, massive cash withdrawals, and transfers among different members of the group to conceal the illicit origin of the money.
During the investigation, the Civil Guard discovered that a substantial inheritance belonging to a foreign woman who had died in a nursing home had been deposited in the account. According to investigators, the detainees had used a forged holographic will and the testimony of other group members to make it appear that the deceased had a romantic relationship with the account holder, who had also died.
Agents located the true heir in Switzerland, a son of the deceased with whom he had little contact. Although one of the investigated lawyers contacted him to supposedly manage the inheritance through a notarised power of attorney, the legitimate heir never received any assets, prompting a report to the authorities in his country.
Investigators estimate that the profit obtained by the organisation exceeds one million euros and do not rule out the existence of new victims. As part of the operation, seven searches were carried out in homes in Nerja (Málaga) and Almuñécar (Granada), where 200,000 euros in cash, jewellery, electronic devices, and abundant documentation belonging to deceased individuals were seized.
The investigation, conducted by agents from the Main Post of the Civil Guard in Nerja under the direction of the Court of First Instance and Instruction number 1 of Torrox, remains open to clarify whether there are more affected individuals and other possible members of the criminal organisation. Authorities recommend that relatives of deceased foreigners in Spain verify the destination of their assets and report any irregularities to the Civil Guard.
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