The defendant, who faces a potential sentence of up to three years in prison and a 300,000 euro fine for money laundering, completely disassociated herself from the irregular operation. According to her defense, she was unaware of the existence of a bank account in her name that was involved in the fraud.
The president of the affected company, who testified as a victim and witness, stated that the invoice received via corporate email was «similar» to others used in «buying and selling machinery» operations. Consequently, no employee suspected fraud. «We paid over 172,000 euros for a machine. When they sent it to us, the company informed us that they had not received any payment. So we had to pay for it again».
The invoice did not raise any suspicions; it was a national account, and the IBAN was correct. When we saw that the account holder was an insolvent person, we considered whether to continue with the trial because we knew we would not recover the money, and the judicial process would cost us more.
An Ertzaintza agent also intervened, confirming that the police investigation determined that the emails of the two companies involved were «possibly hacked». At the request of the defense, the accused testified last, reiterating her lack of knowledge about the implicated bank account.
According to the Prosecutor's Office, the defendant allegedly made «up to 27 transfers» after the money was collected in the account, «for different amounts with a maximum of 15,000 euros to avoid activating fraudulent transfer alerts from the banking authority». The woman, however, denies these accusations. «I knew nothing until I received the letter from the court».
Furthermore, she indicated that a person with whom she lived with her daughter during that period could be the reason she appeared as the account holder. «We had a lot of trust; she had access to my belongings. She could take my identification documents, bank numbers... it could have been her because we often had problems». She also clarified that she did not receive any emoluments. «I even had to apply for social housing assistance due to my economic situation». When questioned by the defense lawyer, she denied having any computer knowledge.
The Public Prosecutor's Office maintains its request for a three-year prison sentence and a 300,000 euro fine, as well as compensation of 172,169 euros to the affected company for a money laundering offense in the form of concealing the final destination of stolen assets. The defense, for its part, has demanded an acquittal for its client.
