Phoenix 24
A financial investigation now intersects with one of Spain’s most politically sensitive corruption disputes.
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES | AUGUST 2026
Basque businessman Alejandro Hamlyn López-Tapia has been arrested in Abu Dhabi after remaining outside the reach of Spanish authorities since 2025. Hamlyn, president of the former hydrocarbon company Hafesa, was detained on Monday under two international arrest warrants requested by Spanish courts.
He is under investigation for alleged involvement in a large-scale value-added tax fraud scheme operating through companies in the fuel sector. Investigators estimate that more than €154 million may have been defrauded through intermediary and shell companies. Hamlyn has not been convicted in this proceeding, and the allegations against him remain subject to judicial determination.
The wider case has already produced significant consequences. Spain’s National Court sentenced Hamlyn’s former second-in-command to 16 years in prison for participation in the alleged network. Hamlyn is also being investigated over claims that a National Police officer assigned to the National Court received more than €4,000 per month in exchange for confidential information concerning the inquiry.
His name gained political prominence after the disclosure of a February 2025 meeting with Leire Díez, a figure accused by opponents of conducting sensitive operations connected to the Spanish Socialist Party. The recorded conversation reportedly focused on obtaining damaging information about Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Balas of the Civil Guard’s Central Operational Unit, known as the UCO.
Balas has participated in major corruption investigations involving people connected to the PSOE. According to the recording, Hamlyn suggested that he possessed information about the officer, while Díez expressed interest in obtaining it. The discussion also addressed the possibility that Hamlyn might receive assistance with his legal difficulties in exchange for cooperation. Whether any concrete agreement was reached or acted upon remains part of the unresolved political and judicial controversy.
Spanish authorities will now begin proceedings to secure Hamlyn’s extradition from the United Arab Emirates. The process could take several months, depending on legal appeals and coordination between both countries. His eventual return could provide investigators with testimony and evidence relevant not only to the alleged tax fraud but also to the reported effort to obtain information about members of the UCO.
Hechos que no se doblan. / Facts that do not bend.