Spain
Court blocks 400 million euro of beer baron's fortune
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The patriarch of one of Spain's richest families is under a High Court investigation for alleged tax fraud that could surpass some 400 million euro, sources have told EL PAÍS. The court has nearly completed its inquiry into Demetrio Carceller Sr., owner of the Catalan beer company Damm, the sources said.
The High Court has blocked some 400 million euro in bank accounts and stock held by the Carceller family to satisfy what investigators say could be the biggest tax-evasion case in Spanish history, sources said.
On Tuesday, investigators carried out raids at some of the Carceller-owned family businesses and sources have not ruled out that charges could also be filed against his son, Demetrio Carceller, Jr.
The investigation began more than a year ago after tax investigators filed a complaint saying that the elder Carceller, who is in his eighties, had falsified information to support his claims that his legal residence was in Portugal. The auditors said that Carceller had to prove that he lived more than 183 days a year outside of Spain, which he reportedly could not do. Carceller, who is retired, was not taken to prison because of his advanced age, sources said.
His son Demetrio Jr. now runs most of the family businesses, which include the oil company DISA and Damm. The family has shareholdings in the builder Sacyr, Ebro Foods and Gas Natural.
(Published by El País – July 8, 2010)