Interpol arrests Hamlyn in Abu Dhabi, mastermind of €154 million VAT fraud
Basque businessman Alejandro Hamlyn, president of Hafesa, was arrested by Interpol in Abu Dhabi after fleeing in 2025. He negotiated his immunity with Leyre Díez in exchange for information against the UCO.
Alleged leader of Hafesa fiscal scheme arrested in Abu Dhabi
Interpol arrested Basque businessman Alejandro Hamlyn López-Tapia in Abu Dhabi on Monday, according to elmundo.es. Hamlyn, president of oil company Hafesa, is the suspected mastermind of a fiscal fraud scheme involving unpaid VAT totalling €154 million. At least two international arrest warrants issued by Spanish courts were outstanding against him.
The judicial investigation began in 2019 and, after a lengthy process, the oral trial against around twenty defendants commenced in June 2025. Weeks before that hearing, Hamlyn moved to Abu Dhabi and refused to appear before the courts, claiming that local authorities prevented him from leaving the emirate due to a complaint lodged against him. The National Court has already sentenced Hafesa's number two to 16 years' imprisonment for the same fraud.
Contacts with Leyre Díez to negotiate immunity
During his stay in Abu Dhabi, Hamlyn held a video conference lasting almost an hour with Leyre Díez, known as the "plumber of Ferraz", in February 2025. The aim was for Díez to intercede with the Public Prosecutor's Office to reduce his criminal liability in the VAT scheme. In exchange, Díez demanded compromising information against Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Balas, head of the Central Operational Unit (UCO) and responsible for investigations into corruption cases linked to the PSOE.
Hamlyn claimed in that conversation to have contacts and sufficient material to meet the request. However, he demanded that before the trial took place, it be established how he could avoid the consequences of criminal proceedings. "I have something, with something I give you [referring to Balas] he's finished," Hamlyn stated during the virtual meeting, which was also attended by businessman Javier Pérez Dolset and lawyer Jacobo Teijelo.
Payments to a police officer in exchange for judicial information
Hamlyn is also facing an additional criminal investigation linked to a National Police officer assigned to the National Court. According to elmundo.es, Hafesa made monthly payments of over €4,000 between 2022 and 2024 to the wife of officer Javier Luis Muñoz. The payment was allegedly made in exchange for privileged information about the state of the fiscal fraud investigation. The same police officer also allegedly intervened in other judicial proceedings in exchange for receipt of illegal commissions.
Hamlyn must answer before the courts for both cases following his arrest in Abu Dhabi.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)