Stars of TV hit ‘Cuéntame’ suspected of tax fraud worth €3 million
Ana Duato and Imanol Arias due to be summonsed by High Court over opaque companies used to hide income from starring roles
Spain’s anti-corruption prosecutor believes that the actors Ana Duato and Imano Arias evaded paying almost €3 million in taxes, from income that came principally from their roles on the hugely popular prime-time TV show Cuéntame.
The pair are suspected to have avoided paying the full amount of tax they owed via a series of opaque companies, created from a firm of lawyers called Nummaria. Arias is thought to have concealed €2.18 million between 2010 and 2014, while Duato failed to pay €794,389 between 2010 and 2012.
A High Court judge is due to summons the pair on suspicion of tax fraud and money-laundering offenses.
Cuéntame como pasó, to give the show its full name – meaning, “Tell me how it happened” – has been on Spanish screens since 2001, and recounts the story of a middle-class family during the final years of the Franco dictatorship and Spain’s Transition to democracy. Duato and Arias play husband and wife Mercedes and Antonio. It is broadcast on the public TVE-1 channel.
English version by Simon Hunter.
