Claudio Rivas, the main partner of the entrepreneur Víctor de Aldama in the hydrocarbon conspiracy, took part in a hunting trip in the Finca Matasanos (Cáceres) over the Halloween weekend, during which around 90 wild boars were hunted, according to some videos to which EL PAÍS had access. This natural enclave, located in the municipality of Cilleros, on the border with Portugal, is in the sights of the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Guardia Civil because Rivas, the agents say, owns the property and keeps it hidden presumably through frontmen. They suspect he may have kept cash from the fuel fraud there. Rivas is the main suspect, together with Aldama – who did not participate in the hunt – by judge Santiago Pedraz at the National Court for alleged embezzlement of 231 million euros from the public treasury.
One of the sources familiar with the details of the November 1 hunt says it was “so ostentatious” that dozens of “golden mouths” were awarded, a type of award that is awarded based on the size of the animal’s tusk. This newspaper had access to several videos recorded that day, which were uploaded to the social networks of some of those present, showing rows of bloodied animals with their mouths open on the farm land. Two sticks support the head of each killed mammal and in the center is the shield of Finca Matasanos which can also be seen on the course website. In one we see Claudio Rivas who, in communication with this newspaper, claims not to have hunted, but confirms that “he was having dinner” on the farm. Another recording from that weekend places him inside the house, at a masquerade party entertained by a musical group.
On October 7, 2024, just before half past eight in the morning, the Guardia Civil arrived in Cilleros to search this place, which Rivas, according to one of the conversations transcribed in the documents, values at eight million euros. They had been following the businessman for weeks and believed he might be keeping some cash there. The agents had intercepted a phone call with his wife Stella Duarte in which she reproached him for having “made a mistake in packing the packages” because he had made them with “10 (banknotes) of 50 (euros) instead of 20 of 50” so he didn’t have enough money to make a deposit. “Nothing’s wrong,” he replied and told her to go down to the large weapons rack, “and that’s it.” For this reason, the UCO indicates in an expert report provided to the National Court that Rivas “hides cash inside the weapons rack located on Matasanos’ property, since his wife’s phone was located in Cilleros at the time. In the search, however, no money was found.”
The investigators place Federico Casas as director of the company that manages the property (Finca Matasanos SL). The company’s corporate purpose is to “acquire, negotiate, promote and transform real estate” as well as “carry out hunting activities, exploit game reserves and provide hunting-related services”. The UCO believes that Casas is a “veiled front man” for Claudio Rivas and that, in reality, the pitch belongs to him. Casas spoke briefly by phone this Monday with the newspaper and denied being the current manager of the property and having participated in the aforementioned hunt.
Several businessmen consulted also wanted to dissociate themselves from this Day of the Dead activity. Sources familiar with the organization of the event indicate that the event was managed by the Sierra España hunting company, whose director is Felipe Romero, who is also involved in the investigation of the case case of hydrocarbons. The UCO puts it, together with Aldama, in the area closest to Claudio Rivas because they both knew, presumably, where the entrepreneur kept the money. On the phone he denies that his company organized the wild boar hunt and says he was only there as a “companion”. However, comments appear on their social networks from alleged participants thanking “the organization” of the “big day of pig hunting”.
In the network of hydrocarbon companies that the Guardia Civil is trying to unravel, agents also recorded payments between 2020 and 2021 to Felipe Romero of the company Have Got Time, the company that bought the chalet in La Alcaidesa (Cadiz) for 526,500 euros, presumably for the enjoyment of former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos.
Rivas and his hunting hobby
Rivas’ love of hunting is no secret. In the summary of the investigation there are other photographs in which he appears next to the corpses of wild animals such as lions or tigers. The UCO connects him not only to the Matasanos farm, but also to another located in Mora (Toledo) which they suspect he is hiding, also registered to a third party. “It is understood that both properties are owned by Claudio Rivas, both being entitled to nominees”, specifies the armed institute.
In a phone call dated July 5, 2024, Rivas asked Romero to move to the farm located in Mora because he had saved the money he needed. “(…) You have to go upstairs to the changing room, look for the keys pfff, the God key (…)”, the UCO recorded. Since Romero couldn’t, Rivas made it known that he would call Aldama, which, for the instructors, is a sign that both entrepreneurs have the utmost confidence.
Several sources linked to the investigation explain that Claudio Rivas’ standard of living has not decreased since his arrest and wonder who paid for this hunt. Aldama’s partner completely dissociates himself from both hunting and ownership of Finca Matasanos, although he assures that he is still registered there. He says that the current administrators will “evict” him because of his legal problems and that he worked in that place and, therefore, was able to stay, but that it was never his.
In this structure – which has a lake, a swimming pool and several buildings – he celebrated his wedding in 2022. In the videos in the link, uploaded to YouTube, among the guests you can see Víctor de Aldama, Rivas’ sister – also under investigation by the National Court – and the businesswoman Carmen Pano, accused of hydrocarbon fraud and a witness who claims to have delivered 90 thousand euros in cash to the PSOE headquarters in via Ferraz (Madrid).
