James BryceAN art dealer who sold millions of euros of paintings to Juan Antonio Roca – the man at the heart of the infamous Malaya case – has insisted the transactions were carried out legally.
Alberto Pedronzo, who made millions from the deals, insisted they were not part of an elaborate money laundering scheme.
Instead he argued Roca was a well known businessman and a ‘lover of art’ who paid well and he had no reason to question where the money was coming from.
“I did not suspect anything about Roca and I still do not suspect him,” explained Pedronzo.
He also questioned the figure given by the prosecution that deals amounted to 15 million euros, insisting the figure was only around 3.4 million euros.
Police however argue that Roca bought his 27 million euro art collection using ‘fake loans’ and ‘financial engineering’.
