Defence lawyers acting for the Chilean lawyer based in Marbella, Fernando del Valle

, the man at the centre of the Ballena Blanca money laundering case, have called for the case to be declared null and void.

Horacio Oliva said in his final comments to the judge that his client suffered ‘unjustified interference’ of his basic rights during the instruction stage of the case. He said the arrest warrant issued against his client by Judge Miguel Angel Torres had an erroneous motive, and was more appropriate to the fight against terrorism or organised crime. He said they entered the office, destroyed it, and then obtained rickety evidence.

The lawyer argued that Del Valle, accused of setting up companies which allowed the laundering of 12 million € of black money, with that of the taxi driver who drives a client to the shanty town on the outskirts.
‘The taxi driver may be convinced that his passenger is going to buy drugs, but that does not make him an accomplice to the drug traffickers’.

Fernando del Valle faces a possible 17 years in prison and a fine of 36 million €, accused of aiding the laundering of 31 million € from illicit activities.