The National Court judge investigating the so-called Vitaldent case, around fifty judges were investigatedincluding the former owner of the company, a Uruguayan businessman. Ernest Colmanfor the alleged commission”big scam“For years and scam franchises.
After seven years of investigation in the National Court and the annulment of a file, the judge said: Manuel Garcia Castellon judged about fifty people for crimes like belonging to a criminal organization, fraud, embezzlement and money launderingIn order of transition to the abbreviated procedure that EFE accesses.
Ernesto Colman, the former owner of the company, stands out among the defendants. 15 months in prison For this purpose, he acts as his “trusted attorney” in various companies. Bartolo Conte, According to the judge’s decision, which he placed at the head of an “organized structure” from 2005 until the start of the investigation, an appeal is being filed against him.
The “end goal” was “the commission of large-scale scams”. (in the nature of tax and contract) and laundering of profits” Within the framework of an operation extending to the Netherlands, Switzerland and Luxembourg, “involving franchisors, franchisors and accounting, tax, labor and service consultancy firms, with a spatial scope not limited to Spain”.
The judge said that at his disposal Colman would create an “institutional and privileged structure” and that this “a malicious model aimed at enriching the organizationBy different means, such as “incurring extra costs to franchisees or “deviating the advertising fee paid by franchisees for other purposes”.
Contrary to what is advertised, the judge says, Benefits or discounts received by the brand did not return to franchiseeswho had to pay 11% royaltythis translated into an increase in the price they had to pay and a “decrease in the quality of the prosthesis”.
The judge noted his presence. an alleged B accounting generating “large amounts of financially opaque money”. The way it worked probably consisted of each clinic being able to produce the monthly amount selected in ‘B’ and delivering “10% of the ‘blacked out’ to the establishment”.
That’s what the car was built for,” he explains.cash collection system‘ was delivered in cash at the annual meetings of franchisees, but would also require a cash payment of €10,000 per month to ‘own clinics and some trusted franchisees’.
The judge found above market prices by prohibiting discounts on certain products through a computer program or to “patients other than those authorized”.
To illustrate the supposed extra cost, the judge explains that if, for example, a clinic places 500 crowns on implants, the Vitaldent lab charges €55,500 for the crown, while another lab charges €27,500. . “from where it was taken a remarkable benefit for headquarters at the expense of the franchisee“.
found its existence. “collaborative franchisees” who will cooperate with the “criminal organization” to the detriment of the rest of the franchisees. In return, “better conditions were provided for them.”
With this structure, Colman would have contracted with franchisees from Spain, Italy, Poland and Portugal on “conditions that allow him to derive great benefits by managing all phases of training, advertising, facility rental, implant material, suppliers, payment of franchise fees”. et cetera.
In October 2021, the judge closed the caseA complaint filed by Vitaldent dealers, assessing that fraud was not proven, but two months later, the Criminal Division realized that they had agreed and reversed that decision.concrete indications of alleged crime“.