An official from the Tax Office Collections Department appeared before the magistrate on Friday, addressing probes into the leadership of Hercules CF and the Hercules Foundation amid alleged criminal activity related to asset movements. The case centers on a two million euro payment tied to the transfer of Abdessamad Ezzalzouli, known as Abde, from Barcelona to another club. The funds, initially earmarked for the blue and white club, are scrutinized for potential breach of financial obligations to the public treasury dating back to 2011. The matter raises questions about the use of the money and the club’s wider financial management during the relevant period.
Prosecutors and tax authorities contend that the funds were routed to a Foundation account, where they were divided into two parts via multiple checks. Investigators view this as a strategy to circumvent court orders that sought to attach assets. The legality of the transactions is under review as the investigation continues.
In a recent image, Abde is shown training with his new club Osasuna, marking a visible transition from his previous association. The picture is attributed to a photographer from a news agency.
The Alicante Prosecutor’s Office filed a complaint last June, prompted by a Tax Administration request seeking payment from the blue and white organization. The action seeks to recover debts amounting to three and a half million euros that arose from creditors’ claims dating back to 2011. Before the judge, Maria Luisa Carrascosa, the inspector described the contract Hercules signed with the Tax Office as unusual and explained that the club had made regular payments until 2016, after which payments halted and were officially reported in January 2017.
Although guarantees were fulfilled, there were no recoveries via alternative routes, so an enforcement path was chosen. When it became known that the club had received two million euros for Abde’s transfer in August 2020, investigators contacted the bank that issued the checks and the recipient country box. The inspector confirmed that the funds originated from legitimate sources and that all information required by the Treasury had been provided. This bank, which is also under investigation in these proceedings, could be excluded at the end of this procedural phase.
The official supported the view that the two million euros were earmarked to cover payroll, taxes, and ongoing operating expenses. Yet Hercules was obligated only to settle the three and a half million euro debt agreed with the Treasury, including a sum of four hundred eighty thousand euros. The organization’s persistence in denying or delaying information requests from the Treasury about the disposition of the 34 checks worth sixty thousand euros each raised concerns. Investigators interpret this as an attempt to conceal actions and to avoid fulfilling tax obligations in good faith, which is not seen as appropriate conduct for a debtor.
The funds were held as checks rather than in an active account, and it was confirmed in testimony that there were no balances available for confiscation when a lien was requested. Regarding the transfer flow from the blue and white club to the Foundation, a witness described it as lacking sufficient justification, calling the arrangement fictitious according to the Treasury’s investigation.
An agreed compromise was opened after a lawsuit proceeded through enforcement. Hercules told the Tax Office that the arrangement was rejected because the guarantees were not truthful and because trust in the process had eroded. The session on Friday, the third in a sequence of ongoing testimonies with officials from Caja Rural, continued into mid-July under Hercules and the Foundation. The proceedings have progressed toward the points previously agreed by the parties in the presence of a state attorney, with the aim of avoiding an excessive expansion of the inquiry.