The former abbess of the Santa Clara monastery in Belorado (Burgos) is being investigated by the National Police as a suspect in selling 1.7 kilos of gold for 130,000 euros. This amount represents only 300 grams, so the police are seeking to determine where the remaining 1,400 grams came from.
The former nuns of the monastery claim that the sale of gold was approved by the Conventual Chapter and was carried out as part of an investment strategy. They assert that the operation was conducted in compliance with all legal requirements and was supervised by the Archdiocese of Burgos. The sale took place years ago and was conducted by the abbess on behalf of the community.
The sale could not be executed in the name of the entity directly, so the abbess acted as a trustee, in an operation described as lawful under Spanish civil law. The National Police is investigating the origin of the gold bars, some of which are of considerable size. They are trying to determine whether the gold comes from speculative buying and selling operations or from possible scrapping and melting of goods.
According to reports, the former nuns invested around 34,000 euros in gold in 2020 for speculative purposes. The National Police has launched an investigation to clarify the provenance of the gold sold by the former abbess. The gold shipment is being safeguarded at the store where the sale took place, and processing of the operation has been ordered to halt while the case is thoroughly investigated.
