Montoro will remain under investigation while the judge presses the Mossos for four still incomplete proceedings

Judge Rubén Rus has extended the investigation of the 'Montoro case' for another six months this Monday and has demanded that the Central Anti-Corruption Unit of the Mossos d'Esquadra detail the status of the inquiries it still has open. The decision prolongs a case initiated in 2018 that investigates whether Cristóbal Montoro and several former senior Treasury officials used the Ministry to promote tax reforms favorable to clients of Equipo Económico, the firm founded by the former minister.

In a ruling dated July 6, the head of Instruction Court number 2 of Tarragona requests information on four orders sent to the Catalan Police between January and May of this year. He also demands to know of any progress made since Montoro was formally incorporated as an investigated party in July 2025.

The magistrate considers that the case continues to be "extremely complex" due to the amount of documentation pending analysis, the statements that still need to be taken, and the new proceedings that could arise from them. Montoro has not yet been called to testify despite a year having passed since his indictment.

So far, fifteen investigated parties have been summoned, ten individuals and five company representatives. Only one has answered the judge's questions. The rest have invoked their right to remain silent and have stated that they will testify when the Provincial Court of Tarragona resolves the appeals filed against various decisions of the instructor. Three investigated parties reside outside Spain and have requested to appear through international judicial cooperation mechanisms.

Four assignments to the Mossos and dozens of accounts

The investigation has focused in recent months on reconstructing the economic movements of Equipo Económico, its partners, and several people linked to the firm. Rus has requested documentation from the Commercial Registry, notaries, gas companies, the employers' association AFGIM, and the Ministry of Finance, in addition to authorizing the Mossos access to the Financial Ownership File.

In May, the court sent nearly forty orders to banking entities to complete the report commissioned from the Support Unit of the Tax Agency attached to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office. The analysis of the documentation obtained is still pending, one of the main reasons used by the magistrate to justify the new extension.

The financial investigations seek to clarify the fragmentation and deferral of certain payments made by the investigated companies. They also examine income received by former partners and family members after leaving Equipo Económico, with amounts that apparently would not be related to their percentages of participation in the firm.

Among the documentation that the Tax Agency requested to track are around 700 checks for a total amount of 6.4 million euros, in addition to the origin and destination of different transfers. The judge sees movements that he considers incoherent and wants to know who ended up receiving the money invoiced by the law firm.

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office has supported the extension of the deadline. Prosecutor Carmen García Cerdá has rejected the narrative of political persecution defended by several investigated parties and maintains that the procedure examines indications of serious acts of corruption related to the exercise of public power.

Tailor-made tax reforms for gas companies

The origin of the case lies in the activity of Equipo Económico, later called Global Afteli. According to the order that lifted the secrecy of the investigation in July 2025, the firm would have acted as an intermediary between large companies and the Ministry of Finance to obtain legislative modifications adjusted to the interests of its clients.

One of the main lines affects companies integrated into the Association of Manufacturers of Industrial and Medicinal Gases. Air Liquide, Abelló, Messer, Praxair and Carburos Metálicos would have contracted the services of Equipo Económico to achieve changes in the Special Tax on Electricity and the Tax on Economic Activities.

The companies had previously tried to promote these reforms without success. The modifications went ahead after contracting the firm and, according to the investigations, the gas companies themselves participated in the drafting of the legal changes that benefited their activity.

The judge suspects that part of the payments made to Equipo Económico lacked sufficient professional service and could conceal commissions intended to buy influence within the Ministry. The order attributes to Montoro the possible use of his powers in the legislative initiative of the Treasury to facilitate these reforms and ensure income for the firm he had co-founded.

Along with the former minister, several collaborators who passed through Equipo Económico and later held decisive positions in Hacienda are being investigated. Among them are former Secretary of State Miguel Ferré, former Undersecretary Pilar Platero, and former Directors General of Taxes Diego Martín-Abril and José Alberto García.

The case investigates possible crimes of bribery, fraud against the public administration, prevarication, influence peddling, prohibited negotiations, business corruption, and document forgery. The defenses reject the accusations and recall that Montoro left the office before returning to the Government with Mariano Rajoy.

The Mossos must now deliver the pending reports and complete the bank tracing ordered by the court. Then it will be the turn of Montoro and the rest of the investigated parties who have not yet appeared. Rus keeps the investigation open to hear them and decide what new proceedings the money found in the accounts demands.