Judge Rubén Rus, probing a plot involving Cristóbal Montoro and his former firm Equipo Económico, has demanded complete banking records for about 20 individuals and entities, including the ex-Finance Minister. The step follows suspicions over payments to ex-partners and families highlighted in a Tax Agency report. Equipo Económico has appealed, calling the order disproportionate.
Judge Rubén Rus of Tarragona's First Instance Court No. 2 has authorized the Mossos d’Esquadra to access the Financial Holdings File for all banking products linked to Montoro, Equipo Económico, and around 20 other individuals and entities. Rus has sought this information for years without full compliance, now pressing harder after a recent Tax Agency report uncovering a "financial architecture" dispersing funds to mask client payments, including 35.5 million euros from probed gas firms between 2008 and 2013.
Rus flags payments to Equipo Económico's ex-partners and families made after they left the firm, with amounts "incoherent with prior participation percentages." For Montoro, the Tax Agency found seven transfers totaling 137,358.16 euros from March 2007 to February 2008, though annual summaries show 200,000 euros in 2007. Payments to his wife totaling 9,450.69 euros in 2008 and 2010 were attributed by the defense to catering for annual partner family parties.
Equipo Económico appealed the ruling, claiming it artificially extends the probe and is disproportionate to request 12 years of data, some dating back 18 years. The firm cites a February 2025 Guardia Civil UCO report finding no suspicious activity and decries including non-investigated individuals as prohibited "prospective investigation."
