"para vehicular"

Question

Here's the phrase: la tactica de crear o comprar una sociedad "ex profeso"para vehicular todas las relaciones derivadas de una promoción inmobiliaria concreta, con el objetivo último de mitigar las responsabilidades en caso de que la promoción no tenga el éxito esperado.

I'm looking at a document concerning property scams. I understand this phrase, mas o menos, but I think para vehicular must be a legal or slang term meaning something like transmit, transport, convey, facilitate but really, I'm none the wiser. Any ideas?

The tactic of creating or buying a company in order to manipulate??? all ...

I can't seem to find this usage anywhere.

Thanks

Answer 1

Hola Birdland:

I found a list of latin phrases that states:

ex professo = in an open manner

I suggest (without professional legal knowledge, so let the user beware) that your expression means:

The tactic of creating or buying a company (separate legal entity) in an open manner to be the vehicle to carry all the deals of a real or concrete property development, with the ultimate objective of mitigating responsibility in case the promotion does not succeed as hoped.

That is to say the separate legal entity carries the burden of responsibility and not the individual(s) who hatched the scheme or actually promoted the project.

What do you think? Does this work in the overall context of the property scam(s)?

Good stuff, that seems close to the meaning. - lagartijaverde, Apr 11, 2010

Answer 2

This dictionary says the verb "vehicular" means to transport, transmit, or convey.

Answer 3

It's funny - Possibly it takes a non-native reader to notice something like that. To me this is probably one of those expressions that I might read in a newspaper, or an essay, understand what it means from context (as you did, Birdland), and then just carry on. I may think that the choice of words is primarily an attempt from the writer to be clever, or show off his or her language skills, but most likely I wouldn't question it.

Now that you mention it, I find it weird. There are lots of other choices I would use instead, never "vehicular" as a verb!

Answer 4

You know what... we're probably talking about a holding company here. What do you think?

Answer 5

Think I'll use finesse as the verb

Answer 6

And, as it's written by a lawyer, I'm doubly paranoid

I'll probably just let it go. Oh, just realised I skipped the expression "ex profeso" which I've now added to the text. So, that's latin meaning something like "deliberately, intentionally, expressly... but that doesn't alter much re my query.

Answer 7

Yes, thanks, I'm aware of that, but something tells me it's more subtle and specialised. I've looked in Larousse and Collins, the fat ones. I suspect this may be a legal term.

Or maybe I'm too subtle for my own good and that's all there is to it.

It's going to be something like "hedge your bets" "cover yourself"... I dunno

I think it's the latter. :-) "Vehicular" appears in the RAE, without reference to it being any sort of specialty term. - Gekkosan, Apr 11, 2010