Police chief’s business activities probed

A Spanish police inspector who has been involved in several high-profile political and legal inquiries is also a successful entrepreneur, holding a stake in 12 businesses with combined capital of €16 million, according to an analysis carried out by EL PAÍS  of information available at Spain’s Business Registry.

The combined police work and entrepreneurial activity of José Manuel Villarejo Pérez is, he claims, above board and was sanctioned by his superiors. But since the revelations were published by EL PAÍS on Tuesday, the Interior Ministry has announced it will launch an investigation into Villarejo to determine whether his police work and his business activities are compatible.

The police chief recently made the news over his alleged involvement in an investigation into a luxury property owned by current Madrid regional premier Ignacio González, of the center-right Popular Party (PP).

I have put some of my businesses at the service of the police in order to conduct investigations inside and outside Spain”

González has accused the police captain of trying to blackmail him over the penthouse apartment, which some reports described as a gift for the premier from the corrupt Gürtel kickbacks-for-contracts ring in exchange for the rezoning of land in Arganda del Rey to benefit a specific construction company. In response, Villarejo has filed a complaint against González for making that claim. Both the penthouse and the investigation into it are the subject of separate ongoing court inquiries.

The police captain has also filed accusations against colleagues at the internal affairs department who identified him in a blurry photograph that is part of the investigation into “Little Nicolás,” a young man who was recently exposed after having posed as an intelligence officer and Popular Party official in order to worm his way into circles of power.

Villarejo claims that this department has deliberately tampered with the evidence to falsely get him involved in this and other cases. His name has also cropped up in connection with Gao Ping, the Chinese ringleader of one of the biggest money-laundering operations ever seen in Spain.

Interior Minister Jorge Fernández-Díaz on Tuesday announced that he has ordered an investigation into Villarejo’s assets following the revelations made by EL PAIS.

“I have asked the general directorate of the police for a report into Captain Villarejo’s assets and all possible compatibilities and incompatibilities. It is my understanding that [his business activities] were accredited and authorized at the time by the heads of the corresponding police bodies and units,” said the minister.

In two recent conversations with this newspaper, Villarejo insisted that his superiors were aware of his business activities.

“After a 10-year leave of absence from the police, they asked me to return as an undercover agent and gave authorization for me to continue with my private activities,” he said. “As a matter of fact, I have put some of my businesses at the service of the police in order to conduct investigations inside and outside Spain.”

Together with his current wife, Gemma Alcalá Garcés, and a lawyer named Rafael Redondo Rodríguez, Villarejo holds a stake in – and occasionally is the chairman or sole manager of – 12 companies with a combined capital of €16 million. This corporate network is headquartered in Madrid, although some of the companies are located near his home in Boadilla del Monte or in cities where they operate, including Córdoba and Málaga.

Villarejo’s business activities began in the early 1990s on a very small scale, and grew exponentially over the last 22 years. During that time, he also held several positions of responsibility within the National Police.