ONE of the sons-in-law of the CAM bank chairman's widow has been arrested in connection with her sudden death inside her car two months ago.
Married to the deceased's youngest daughter, the accused holds a gun licence and practises target-shooting as a sport.
María del Carmen Martínez, 72, was shot at close range on the forecourt of Novocar, the motor dealership in Alicante owned by the family empire.
She had gone to pick up her Porsche Cayenne after a service, and was due to meet her notary later for issues in connection with the network of companies she owned after the death of her husband, Vicente Sala, who used to be head of the now-defunct Caja de Ahorros del Mediterráneo (CAM).
The Sala-Martínez firms were to have been passed to her son upon her death, which her daughters were apparently not happy about.
Vicente Sala had set up his emporium from a rubber company which had branched out into several Latin American countries, but in his later years had focused mainly on motor and construction.
Police had always considered María del Carmen's murder was an inside job, and have interviewed her son, three daughters and their respective spouses, as well as domestic staff, employees and everyone linked to the business.
Officers did not rule out, at first, that someone close to the victim had hired a hitman.
This morning (Wednesday) at around 08.30, police surrounded all the country lanes leading to the family estate, where Vicente's and María del Carmen's mansion and the four villas belonging to their adult children are based.
A raid on the youngest daughter's and her husband's property culminated in the latter's arrest at 13.30, after which officers have been searching the Novocar premises.
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A NEW child protection law named after a British musician living in Spain has been approved in Congress and is set to be signed off by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday, June 8.
