The husband of the mayor of Marbella formally accused of belonging to a criminal organization, money laundering

THE SPANISH High Court has already accused Lars Broberg, the husband of Marbella Mayor Ángeles Muñoz, of belonging to a criminal organization and laundering the proceeds of drug trafficking.

But the case against the 80-year-old, who has lived in the city of Marbella for decades, was dismissed due to his “serious physical and mental deterioration”, according to information published today by the online daily Spanish El Diario.

Lars Broberg and his son, Joakim, were among 71 people arrested in a massive police operation last year, which took place in both Spain and Sweden. The investigation, dubbed Operación Mueble (Operation Furniture), began in 2018 when Swedish authorities asked the Policia Nacional in Spain to investigate a group of drug traffickers on the Costa del Sol.

The bust saw authorities dismantle the alleged gang, which was exporting large amounts of marijuana and hashish from Andalusia to Sweden and other European countries.

Broberg senior was arrested in February 2021 and released unconditionally. In July, Joakim was detained in Brazil.

On September 29, High Court Judge Manuel García Castellón recommended that 27 people be tried for offenses related to the organization, including Lars and Mikel.

If he were to be tried, Lars Broberg faces 14 years in prison for the two offenses he is accused of.

But last Thursday, Judge Castellón suspended the charges against him in response to a request filed by his lawyer. The Swedish national had been called to appear before the Madrid High Court at the end of September, but seeing his state of health, the judge requested a “medical-legal examination” of the defendant.

The result of this test was that Broberg ‘is in no condition to testify’ and that this situation is not expected to improve, according to El Diario.

The judge ruled that Broberg was aware of the actions under investigation at the time, but cannot currently respond to them or adequately explain himself.

According to the conclusions of the investigating judge, to which El Diario had access, Joakim Broberg “was the boss and was responsible for maintaining contact between the suppliers and the customers” of the drug. The former were located in Morocco, while the latter were in Sweden and other Northern European countries.

The judge considered that the organization had a “complex structure in which there were clear hierarchical and disciplinary relations”.

The magistrate also clarified that Broberg senior was involved in two operations aimed at concealing the origin of the drug money, including the creation of shell companies used to make real estate purchases, and the purchase of a large property called El Herrojo. The judge concluded that just over 2 million euros had been laundered in these latest transactions.

When Broberg and her son were first arrested, the mayor of Marbella, Ángeles Muñoz, of the conservative People’s Party, claimed that the innocence of her husband and son-in-law would be proven once the judicial inquiry was lifted. . She also claimed the police operation was an attempt to smear Marbella’s image.

The case against her husband will not be completely dismissed based on his medical condition and it will continue against the other suspects. Broberg’s defense will have to send monthly reports to the High Court on his condition.

Read more: