Óscar Benavente told the court in the Malaya case that he had little direct involvement in managing Roca's companies

Óscar Benavente told the court in the Malaya case that he had little direct involvement in managing Roca's companiesEFE archive


As the Malaya court case continues in Málaga, Óscar Benavente, one of the main right hand men to the man at the centre of the corruption, Marbella’s ex municipal real estate assessor, Juan Antonio Roca, was questioned by the court.

Benavente faces six years in prison and a fine of 100 million € on charges of money laundering and falsifying documentation.
He claimed that he was not involved in managing Roca’s companies, apart from two specific cases, and had no idea if Roca’s funds were illicit or not. Benavente said he first started working for his boss in 1996 in Madrid, and was then brought to Marbella where he was given a house and paid 900 € a month.

There, he said he oversaw building work on Roca’s house and his farm, took care of his boss’s day to business, took his children to school and helped out his wife. His monthly wages were always paid in cash.

Benavente admitted to direct involvement in two of Roca’s companies but, even then, followed instructions. As far as the others were concerned, he said he only did as he was told by his boss.

El País reports that it was Óscar Benavente who signed the 8.6 million € insurance policy for the ex real estate assessor’s collection of art. He however claimed in court to have no idea of how Roca acquired the paintings.

The paper notes that, unlike Roca’s other confidantes, the two men signed a contract agreeing to put Benavente at the head of his companies, with the condition that Roca would be recognised as the true owner. Another of the confidantes is the lawyer Montserrat Corulla, who was in charge of Roca’s hotel businesses. Benavente admitted that it was he who put his boss in touch with his childhood friend.