Today, the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) announced that they would charge Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala (of AOG Technics) with fraudulent trading.
Yrala is accused of defrauding customers by falsifying trace documentation for aircraft parts.
This is the culmination of a lengthy investigation that also recently led to the arrest of several men in Portugal who are accused of being part of Yrala’s scheme. Reporter Maria Peleira Gouveia of the Portuguese press has reported that:
- Gonçalo Trinchante, Amândio Geada and Manuel de Almeida, together with an Argentinian citizen, are suspected of a scheme to steal parts from TAP Portugal.
- The scheme is estimated to have involved 12 million euros worth of parts.
- For seven years, from 2015 to 2022, Gonçalo Trinchante, who was in charge of TAP’s warehouse, allegedly supplied José Yrala with parts and other components that had been stored on the company’s premises.
- The components were then sent to AOG Technics in England
Many people in the industry have heard about the allegations against AOG Technics, which is accused of using false documentation trails associated with the parts that they were selling. This shows that the investigation continues, and that the consequences of aviation fraud are serious.