Court Extends Investigation into Fuel Fraud Case Involving Aldama. A judge of the National Court has extended the investigation into the fuel fraud case until December 2026. The case involves businessman Aldama. Investigators are awaiting new evidence and do not rule out additional defendants.
Spain's National Court has extended the investigation into a major fuel sector fraud case, in which businessman Víctor de Aldama remains one of the key figures. Judge Santiago Pedraz sided with the prosecutor's office, granting investigators an additional six months — until December 2026. The decision is linked to the need to complete the analysis of seized documents and carry out further investigative actions, which may result in new charges.
At the center of the case is the company Villafuel, owned by Claudio Rivas. Investigators believe the fraudulent scheme relied on wholesale petroleum product operators who purchased fuel from depots, paying only special taxes while evading VAT payments. By law, the operator must remit VAT after receiving it from gas stations; however, as the court notes, in this arrangement the tax virtually never reached the budget.
During raids in October and December 2024, police seized a significant volume of documents from the offices and homes of suspects. After these operations, Aldama was taken into custody but was soon released after agreeing to cooperate in another high-profile case — 'Koldo.' The analysis of the seized materials is ongoing, and some documents are still awaiting police forensic review.
The investigation has also sent European inquiries to Portugal to obtain additional information. According to UCO, the basic fraud scheme allowed operators to withhold almost all the collected VAT from the treasury, causing losses to the state. The case materials emphasize that further progress in the investigation depends on the results of ongoing expert examinations and international requests.
In Spain, cases involving tax schemes in the fuel sector regularly attract the attention of courts and police. In 2026, authorities strengthened oversight of financial flows in the energy sector, and investigations into such schemes often lead to new defendants and tighter regulations. By comparison, in other areas, such as education, courts also make decisions that affect citizens’ rights—as was the case with allowing parents to choose the language of instruction in schools in Valencia. Such cases highlight the role of the courts in regulating key spheres of life in the country.
