Judge Pedraz expands EU investigations into alleged fuel-tax fraud money flows in Portugal and Ireland

In the ongoing 'hydrocarbons case', Judge Santiago Pedraz, acting as the investigating magistrate, has asked the European Union's investigative mechanisms to widen their scope in Portugal and Ireland. After Portuguese authorities provided extra bank account numbers tied to the alleged VAT fraud, Pedraz deemed the data incomplete because it lacked detailed transaction histories and was presented in hard-to-analyze formats.

Consequently, he issued two fresh European Investigation Orders to obtain full banking records for accounts held at Banco Santander Totta, Abanca Corporación Bancaria and Novo Banco, including those of E.F. Iber Combustiveis-Distribuiçao de Produtos Petrolíferos Unipessoal Lda. He also ordered Irish officials to collect comprehensive client and transaction information from Kraken’s operator, Payward Europe Limited, covering user IDs, addresses, payment methods and full deposit-withdrawal logs. The prosecutor’s office supports these steps as necessary and proportionate to uncover the full path of the suspected illicit proceeds.