The Second Criminal Chamber considers it proven that Joakim Broberg, stepson of the mayor of Marbella, Ángeles Muñoz, laundered €4.9 million from drug trafficking. Two of the operations also involved his father, Lars Broberg, who passed away in 2023.
The National Court has laid bare the financial network of the stepson of the mayor of Marbella. Joakim Broberg has been sentenced to nine years in prison, of which four and a half correspond to money laundering offenses. The 200-page ruling details four money laundering operations, two of which also involved his father, Lars Broberg, who died in March 2023 before being tried.
The 'Casa Grande Roja' and the properties in El Herrojo
The main money laundering operation focuses on the 'Casa Grande Roja', a luxury home in Benahavís. Joakim Broberg purchased it for €129,000 from the company Vega del Colorado, which was owned by his father and uncle. Subsequently, a transaction worth three million euros was made. Additionally, the court confirms the laundering of €721,728 with three properties in El Herrojo, where funds were moved from Montenegro.
These two maneuvers total nearly four million euros. Lars Broberg had initially been prosecuted for them, but the case was dropped due to his delicate health. Anti-drug prosecutor María Dolores Salcedo stated during the trial that Lars was 'behind his son's operations', although the ruling does not mention the mayor's husband.
Luxury offices and a bill counting machine
Joakim Broberg's base of operations was the headquarters of Wasa Consulting, owned by his father, in the Plaza de Nueva Andalucía shopping centre. On February 9, 2021, the National Police raided these offices and found a bill counting machine. On the same day, Lars Broberg was arrested and released after refusing to testify.
In addition to the real estate operations, the ruling confirms two other money laundering avenues: one through a property in Marbella controlled by a Panamanian company (€230,000) and another through the buying and selling of gold (€894,000). In total, the mayor's stepson will have to pay a fine of €4.9 million.
Acquittal of a businessman
The court has acquitted Nils Fisher, manager of the company Codecosol, of all charges. Investigators had pointed to him as a frontman for Joakim Broberg, but the Second Criminal Chamber concludes that 'there is no relationship that proves beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr Fisher works in the activities of Joakim Broberg'. Fisher is exonerated without any penalty.
The ruling also dismisses another operation involving a house at El Herrojo 119, which could not be proven. With this ruling, a judicial chapter that has kept the family of the mayor of Marbella in the public spotlight for years comes to a close.
For the residents of Marbella, this ruling reinforces the perception that justice is acting against money laundering on the Costa del Sol, an area traditionally linked to drug trafficking. The conviction of Joakim Broberg sends a clear message about the consequences of money laundering, although the death of his father has prevented him from being held accountable.
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