Police say ETA lawyers were paid in cash

THE lawyers arrested last Monday for supporting ETA terrorist group prisoners were allegedly being paid cash in hand.

Amaia Izko, spokesperson for Navarra’s Sortu separatist nationalist party, and one of the detainees, was reportedly paid in cash and without declaring taxes to the state, or making Social Security payments. 

It’s claimed the other 11 lawyers who worked for imprisoned ETA members also got paid this way, an approximate amount of €1,200 per month, without bills or paying the IVA. 

Guardia Civil officers have also accused them of laundering this money which, between 2013 and 2014, reached more than €1 million. 

As an example, one of the main leaders of the group Arantza Zulueta, arrested on January 2014, was never registered to pay Social Security, despite working as a lawyer for several decades. 

More than €90,000 was confiscated by the police in the headquarters of the Lab Trade Union, an amount that had been collected during a demonstration in support of the imprisoned terrorists. 

The officers noted that people were keeping money in bags, which were then left in different meeting points, and then picked up by the arrested treasurers. 

Six of the suspects have been released since they were charged, and will not be allowed to visit the ETA members in prison.