The national Police have arrested seventeen people in Marbella for their alleged involvement in fraud and forgery relating to social security and public finances.
Operation Wash began in July 2014 after irregularities were detected in applications for the regularisation of administrative status for foreigners in Spain.
This led to the discovery of seven companies in Marbella that theoretically hired people for short periods of time and made grant applications and benefits requests.
The companies are alleged to have been offering fraudulent work contracts and making false benefit claims for foreigners in exchange for amounts ranging from €50 to €1,500. It is reported that the companies defrauded the Social Security of some €53,000 in total.