Walter Finch
Alexander John Broberg Muñoz claims ignorance of property deals involving €230,000 mortgage as half-brother faces 18 years behind bars
THE son of Marbella’s mayor has denied any knowledge of his half-brother’s alleged money laundering operations during testimony at Spain’s ongoing Swedish mafia trial.
Alexander John Broberg Muñoz, son of popular mayor Angeles Muñoz, appeared as a witness at the Audiencia Nacional on Wednesday as his half-brother Joakim Peter Broberg stands trial for drug trafficking and money laundering.
The 24 suspects are accused of running a sophisticated operation transporting hashish and marijuana from Morocco to Sweden via Spain, with Marbella serving as a key operational hub.
READ MORE: Marbella mayor’s stepson and late husband ‘laundered €7m as bosses of the Swedish mafia’ trial hears
During his testimony, Alexander claimed complete ignorance about a €230,000 mortgage on a property he now owns in the Linda Vista urbanisation in San Pedro de Alcántara.
The property, which prosecutors suspect was used in money laundering operations, had belonged to his late Swedish businessman father Lars Gunnar Broberg for 25 years through a Panamanian company called Leslie Company.
“I had no idea the house had been mortgaged or that my brother had cancelled the mortgage in 2017,” Alexander told the court.
“I only discovered this when I requested property documents in 2022 while applying for credit.”
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The prosecution alleges the mortgage arrangement was part of a €230,000 laundering operation. Leslie Company allegedly borrowed the money from a British Virgin Islands firm, Poni Participation, in 2010 before repaying it in full just one year later.
In a bizarre twist, Joakim Broberg acted as representative for both the creditor and debtor when the mortgage was cancelled before a notary in 2017.
Alexander insisted his relationship with his half-brother had been minimal over the years due to living abroad, seeing him only at family celebrations “and little more.” He said they currently have “neither a good nor bad relationship.”
When questioned about his father’s decision to gift him the property by transferring company shares rather than direct ownership, Alexander claimed it was simply “what was done” without outside influence.
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Prosecutors are seeking a 22-year prison sentence and a €30 million fine for Joakim Broberg, who is accused of six separate money laundering operations totalling €7.3 million.
The trial has already heard explosive wiretapped conversations revealing the extent of the alleged criminal network’s reach across Andalucia, with one suspect boasting: “We have Marbella, Estepona… we have all of bloody Andalucia.”
Police investigators testified that the mayor’s step-son allegedly supplied drugs to criminal organisations in Sweden and had access to privileged information about Marbella’s town planning regulations.
The late Lars Gunnar Broberg, husband of Mayor Angeles Muñoz, was also under investigation before his death for allegedly helping his son launder proceeds from illegal activities.
The trial continues at the Audiencia Nacional in Madrid, with the case highlighting the ongoing battle against international drug trafficking networks using Spain’s Costa del Sol as a European gateway.
