The Malaya Corruption case in Marbella - Who are the main players?
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By h.b. - Sep 27, 2010 - 12:39 PM
Spain’s largest ever municipal corruption case with 95 people accused, got underway on Monday September 27 at the Ciudad de la Justicia in Málaga. It follows years of corruption and backhanders in Marbella Town Hall.

The case was opened by Judge Miguel Ángel Torres and completed by Óscar Pérez. The case which started in the Marbella Instruction Court 5, is now at the Provincial Court in Málaga with 95 accused.

Five years on there are now 95 accused, and the instruction case summary considers that 19 local real estate promoters paid regular backhanders between 2002 and 2006 of more than 33 million € to Roca and his cohorts. In return they were granted permission to build on land classified for other uses. One of the promoters, Aifos, has admitted that they paid Roca.

Roca is said to have spent the money, or more than 27 million € of it, on property, art, antique cars and horse carriages, but the police have found it hard to trace, as much is thought to have gone abroad in a complicated network of 24 front men acting for Roca.

All those charged in the case, including the ex Mayors of Marbella, Julián Muñoz Palomo, and Marisol Yagüe, have all denied any implication in the irregularities, although it seems that all the defence lawyers are keeping their strategies quiet ahead of the start of the hearing, although El País reports that some of them have tried to ‘flood’ the oral hearings by calling as many as 101 witnesses. One of the accused, Madrid lawyer Montserrat Corulla, has claimed that her signature on 13 documents has been falsified, while others denied that a set of initials have anything to do with them.

Juan Antonio Roca
The Municipal Real Estate Assessor in Marbella, and the man considered to be the real brains behind it all. It was the late Mayor, Jesús Gil y Gil’s right hand man in the Town Hall where he looked after town planning.
He was admitted to prison without bail on March 31 2006, accused of the misuse of public funds, bribery, and money laundering.
The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor is calling for 30 years prison and a fine of 810.78 million €

Julián Muñoz
The ex Mayor of Marbella, and also right hand man to Gil, was arrested in July 2006 on charges of perversion of the course of justice, misuse of public funds and bribery. He has spent more than two years in prison already and the prosecutor is asking for ten years on the above charges.
His ex wife, Mayte Zaldívar has also been arrested as has his ex girlfriend the flamenco diva Isabel Pantoja.

Marisol Yagüe
Another flamenco singer, she became Mayor of Marbella after a vote of no confidence in Julián Muñoz in August 2003. She is accused of being Juan Antonio Roca’s puppet and has already spent six months in the Málaga jail at Ahaurín de la Torre.
Now the prosecutor is asking for 20 years in prison on charges of misuse of public funds, fraud and bribery. Since she came out of prison she has been running a flamenco nightclub.

Isabel García Marcos
Ex Deputy Mayor of Marbella, she is facing charges of bribery, altering the prices of public auctions, making illegal charges and fraud. When she was arrested in August 2003 more than 360,000 € in cash was found in her home.



Pedro Román
Román has already served just over six months in prison for his alleged implication in the corruption in Marbella Town Hall after being arrested in May 2007. He also acted as Jesús Gil y Gil’s right hand man, and faces charges of fraud, money laundering, town planning irregularities and tax evasion. The prosecutor wants to see him in prison for 21 years, and pay compensation to Hacienda of 6 million € and pay a fine of nearly 14.4 million.

Rafael Gómez, ‘Sandokán’
He is a builder from Córdoba who appears linked to Juan Antonio Roca because of an alleged payment of a 600,000 € backhander. He was also Roca’s partner in the company, Marbella Airways. 400 valuable art works were found in his home. He faces a possible 18 months in prison and 1.2 million € in fines.


José Ávila Rojas
A builder from Granada who faces ten years in prison, and 55 million € in fines, for bribery and money laundering. The prosecutor considers him to be a business partner with Juan Antonio Roca and benefitting with him from developments with Naviro Inmobiliaria 2000.




Montserrat Corulla
This 36 year old Catalan lawyer was known as the ‘Lady of Marbella’. She was arrested in April 2006 and is accused of money laundering. She was released after five months after paying 110,000 €. She was also in the confidence of Juan Antonio Roca, and is alleged to have looked after Roca’s investments and because responsible for the alleged money laundering in Madrid and Marbella.

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