Luis Rubiales, despite the fact that he had a return ticket to Spain for next Saturday, this Wednesday unexpectedly brought forward his return from the Dominican Republic, from where he learned two weeks ago that a case of alleged corruption revolves around his figure during his time at in front of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). He landed mid-morning at the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport, where agents from the central operational unit (UCO) were waiting for him to notify him of his indictment. Without being arrested, according to police sources, he was transferred to the Civil Guard headquarters, where he refused to testify. After availing himself of this right, he was released pending being placed at the disposal of the judge in Majadahonda (Madrid) who is investigating the alleged corrupt plot.
According to a report from the armed institute that appears in the summary to which La Vanguardia has had access, the network headed by Rubiales could have pocketed half a million euros in bribes from the construction company Gruconsa, to which the RFEF paid 3.8 million euros for various contracts. The payments would have been made through a company called Dismatec Sport, which was managed by Francisco Javier Martín Alcaide, known as Nene; close friend of Rubiales. Precisely in one of the hotels that Nene manages in Granada, the agents found on March 20 – when the arrests were carried out – 318,350 euros in two safes, in addition to another 5,000 at his home.
And although a good part of the investigation focuses on Rubiales' mandate, the UCO also continued to tighten its grip on the former president after his resignation due to the controversy generated after his non-consensual kiss with Jenni Hermoso. However, it would not be until January 2024 when the judge in charge of the case, with the support of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, decided to tap the phones and listen to their conversations due to suspicions that Rubiales could continue using the RFEF to do personal business.
Rubiales shelved his sporting side, but not his business side. The documentation collected in the summary shows how he started in business in the Dominican Republic, from where he would move money.
In another more recent report from the UCO, the agents recount how Rubiales began to be part of several companies that had been established by people he trusted most while he presided over the Federation. These are the companies Dismatec and GRX, through which real estate investments would be made. In September 2023, Rubiales acquired 50% of the last company.
The former president has also taken advantage of the time since his departure by continuing his business with Nene, such as the operation of two hotels in Punta Cana. According to investigators, “Javier” would have been one of the beneficiaries of the RFEF during the Rubiales era. , and after his departure from the presidency, his friend would have been obliged to include him in his investments.
In addition, Rubiales' trusted group was seeking to carry out a macro project in an area of about 400,000 square meters in Saudi Arabia to build a soccer stadium, a sports city and a hotel. “I have Luis on fire,” comments one of those investigated in a conversation captured by the Civil Guard.
In fact, in the transcript of those interventions it appears how two of the people who were behind the project assured that Nene and Rubiales "are the least interesting", although they recognized that "if this comes out, there is money for everyone."
