Albanian anti‑corruption prosecutor sends four Spanish nationals to trial over money‑laundering with shell companies

Albania’s Special Anti‑Corruption and Organized Crime Prosecution Office (SPAK) has brought four Spanish citizens—Domingo Romillo Iriarte, Mihaela Munteanu Manole, Alvaro Romillo Castillo and Doris Pere—to trial on charges of money laundering and participation in a structured criminal group. The prosecutors say the defendants created three Albanian companies—Wingwort LLC, Wortnova LLC and Wortend LLC—in June 2024 with minimal capital, a shared address and no genuine economic activity. The firms were allegedly used to circulate funds of suspicious origin, involving large bank transfers, fictitious invoices, undocumented payments and international transfers to foreign entities.

According to SPAK, a portion of the laundered money—approximately €1.62 million—was used to purchase two parcels of land in the coastal village of Dhërmi covering a total of 23.16 hectares. An expert valuation found the market value of the properties to be significantly higher than the declared purchase price. SPAK identifies Iriarte as the scheme’s organiser, directing the companies and the investment decisions, while Manole and Castillo are accused of facilitating the façade of legitimate business activity, and Pere of handling administrative and banking tasks. Preventive asset seizures have been ordered against Iriarte, Manole and Castillo. The investigation was conducted with cooperation from Spanish judicial authorities, and some of the accused are also under investigation in Spain for related fraud offences.