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Date Published: 09/02/2022

ARCHIVED - Costa Blanca man hid death of ex-wife for seven years in fraudulent scam with son

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

The defendant was given an 18-month prison sentence suspended for two years for concealing the Valencian woman's death to avoid paying debts

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Costa Blanca man hid death of ex-wife for seven years in fraudulent scam with son

A Valencian man concealed the death of his ex-wife for seven years to pocket child maintenance and avoid paying outstanding debts in a fraudulent scam in which the couple's son also played a part.

A court in Valencia heard on Tuesday February 8 that the main defendant, a civil servant in a lot of debt, separated from his ex-wife in 2009 and as agreed at the time, was paying 1,500 euros monthly maintenance for their two children, and 650 euros in alimony payments for her.

However, the woman died in June 2012, and her ex-husband hid her death from both the courts and several creditors until March 2019, so that he wouldn't have to pay off debts due to a lack of sufficient income once he had honoured the separation agreement.

It then became apparent he owed 8,000 euros to a lawyer who had represented him in other cases and 240,000 to two banks for various loans.

But pivotal to the case, the maintenance money which had been deducted from his pay each month was being deposited in a bank in his ex-wife's name, which he had access to.

And in April 2019, the couple's son filed a claim with the courts for non-payment of said maintenance, and requested more than 20,000 in arrears, despite the fact he was living with his father the whole time.

The prosecution had initially requested a four-year prison sentence and fine for both defendants, but an agreement was reached and the sentence was reduced to 18 months for the father and 15 months for son, both suspended for two years, since they had already paid back the lawyer.

Also of interest: Anti-fraud agency orders closure of seven Javea beach bars

Image: Wikimedia commons

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