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LUXEMBOURG

Costa finally scores as Spain crush Luxembourg

Diego Costa bagged his first goal for Spain as the champions got the defence of their European title back on track with a 4-0 win over minnows Luxembourg in Euro 2016 qualifying Group C on Sunday.

Published: 13 October 2014 10:43 CEST
Costa finally scores as Spain crush Luxembourg
Diego Costa (2L) had missed a hatful on the night before he swivelled to fire home from close range to the visible relief of the whole team. Photo: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP

The goals came from David Silva and Paco Alcacer in the first half, with Costa snatching the third on 69 minutes, while substitute Juan Bernat made it 4-0 with a debut goal on 87 minutes.

Spain, who lost to Slovakia on Thursday, are now second on goal difference in Group C on six points from three games, with Ukraine, also on six points, in third.

Slovakia's 3-1 away win at Belarus left them top with nine points from three.

Silva got the opener when he latched on to an uncharacteristic long ball out of defence after 27 minutes. The 21-year-old Valencia striker Alcacer doubled the tally with his third goal in three games for Spain just before half-time.

Costa, in his seventh match for Spain had missed a hatful on the night before he swivelled to fire home from close range to the visible relief of the whole team.

"Diego wanted to pay us back with goals for the support we've given him. He feels good in the group, but I told him at half-time he was thinking too much about it (getting a first goal) so I just told him to keep calm," coach Del Bosque said after the game.

The Brazilian-born Costa has been on fire in England with nine Premier League goals for Chelsea this season, but that was his first goal in seven for Spain.

Bernat, a Bayern Munich left-back, will also have given Spain reason to smile as a younger generation emerges to refresh their ageing squad.

Eyebrows were raised before tha game when Spain handler Vicente Del Bosque dropped the under-performing 'keeper Iker Casillas, the 33-year-old with whom Spain won Euro 2008 and 2012 plus the 2010 World Cup, in favour of Manchester United stopper David de Gea.

For his part de Gea had little to do, but was assured on the few occasions he was called upon.

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TAX EVASION

Police raid Luxembourg banks and lawyers

A newly-created police unit in Düsseldorf has spent months investigating Luxembourg banks and their German subsidiaries on suspicion of helping clients evade tax and launder money, triggering a wave of raids on Tuesday.

Published: 25 February 2015 09:02 CET
Police raid Luxembourg banks and lawyers
Commerzbank headquarters in Frankfurt. Photo: DPA

The Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) reported on Wednesday that the “Organized Crime and Tax Fraud” (EOKS) unit suspect numerous Luxembourg banks and up to 90 lawyers and wealth managers of helping German customers evade tax using shell companies in Panama.

Colleagues in other German states, including Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, searched the premises of Luxembourg nationals suspected of involvement, as well as the Commerzbank branch in Frankfurt, on Tuesday.

The subsidiary of Luxembourg-based Commerzbank-International is suspected of years-long, systematic assistance to those seeking to evade taxes.

Police have a database of hundreds of alleged tax frauds and accusations of money laundering are following close behind.

A Commerzbank spokesman said that the bank had “an interest in a quick, comprehensive clarification and obviously supports the authorities actively and completely.”

Investigators in Frankfurt seized documents and email records, containing lists of names of offshore firms, copies of passports belonging to the straw-man directors of the companies, and the names of the real owners.

The spokesman said that the cases were being investigated “internally” in co-operation with the authorities, and that the bank had been asking suspicious customers to “clarify” their tax status since 2009.

It had forbidden even referring customers to people offering shell companies since 2007, he added.

Other German subsidiaries of Luxembourg banks remain under suspicion, and investigators believe that the parent companies there were aware of the underhand dealings in Germany.

Much of the tax evasion dates back to 2005, when an EU law setting up a 15 percent – and later 35 percent – tax on interest charged to citizens of other EU member state was passed in Luxembourg.

Many of the offshore shell companies were set up to hide money and avoid the tax.

SZ also reports on a case when German investigators were refused access to Luxembourg to search the premises of a financial adviser, who had been named by German tax frauds as having helped them.

Luxembourg state prosecutors said that the man was “not relevant in this case” – despite the confessions of the tax evaders – as he had done nothing more than deposit money in different companies.

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