MEP Alvise Pérez admits receiving €100,000 in cash without paying tax

Spanish MEP Alvise Pérez is under investigation for the alleged illegal financing of his far-right party ‘Se Acabó la Fiesta’ (SALF) ahead of the European elections on June 9. Supreme Court prosecutors launched an investigation after uncovering evidence of a crime linked to a €100,000 cash transfer.

Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Álvaro Romillo allegedly handed over €100,000 in cash to Pérez on May 27, just days before the European elections. Spanish media report that Pérez had reportedly contacted Romillo in March to create a digital wallet that would enable him to receive “anonymous and encrypted” funding.

Pérez has admitted on Telegram to receiving the sum of €100,000 “as a freelancer without an invoice,” for which he will have to pay a 25 percent fine on the total amount. He also claims that Romillo “agreed with the Public Prosecutor’s Office to avoid pre-trial detention for fraud by accusing the MEP of receiving the cash to help finance his election campaign.”

According to Romillo, who has provided documents showing ongoing contact between them, Pérez told him that he needed between €300,000 and €360,000 to launch his campaign for Brussels. The messages, published by the Spanish press, indicate that the MEP sought funds that would be untraceable by the Court of Auditors.

Spain’s party financing law prohibits anyone from donating more than €50,000 in a year and requires all donations over €25,000 to be reported to the Court of Auditors.

The complaint by the Association of Cryptocurrency Users against Madeira Invest Club, Romillo’s suddenly closed business, is thought to have triggered his later complaint against Pérez.