How Many Bin Ladens in Spain?

"These days, a raft of illicit practices, crafted from old excesses, have become a rickety means of sliding by. In the years when construction and real-estate markets boomed, transactions conducted underground exceeded 20 percent of gross domestic product. Spain acquired the dubious distinction of having the highest concentration — nearly one-fifth — of all the 500-euro bills on the continent. Called “Bin Ladens” — everyone knows they exist but no one has ever seen them — they are vestiges of corruption, bribery and money laundering in the fat years."


NYT