The ‘Lady of Marbella’ gets her day in court

NICKNAMED the ‘Lady of Marbella’, she was allegedly the smiling face that fronted many of the companies’ run by former planning svengali Juan Antonio Roca.

But during her day in court, Catalan lawyer Montserrat Corulla sensibly attempted to disassociate herself from the crook’s illegal business.

The elegant woman – once referred to as the Lady in the White Veil by Judge Torres – told the so-called Malaya trial that her role as manager for several of his companies was ‘purely formal.’

Dressed down without make up or jewellery she denied any knowledge of Roca’s fraudulent business, that is said to have amounted to up to two billion euros.

She even insisted that she was unaware of his role as planning assessor.

“I was an employee who received instructions,” she told the court, adding: “I never hid that I worked for Roca or that he was the true owner of the business.”

She continued: “I didn’t deal with contracts, nor intervene in accounting or finance.

I worked in the area I knew, the hospitality industry, and my role as manager was to go to the notary to sign bank cheques the companies had administered.”