The National Court has acquitted the leadership of the defunct savings bank Sa Nostra of the charges brought by the Prosecutor's Office and the State Attorney's Office. The accusation claimed that between 2006 and 2010, they diverted 16 million euros in a real estate operation with the developer Sotohermoso in Huelva, causing significant losses for the banking entity. The court determined that the financial decisions made by the decision-making bodies of Sa Nostra and Invernostra could have been part of the usual financial activity of these entities, seeking to adapt to the economic deterioration of Sotohermoso. Despite business negligence and poor management, the court found insufficient evidence to establish disloyal administration under the Penal Code during the specified period.
In a statement, the court concluded that there was no conclusive evidence of criminal conduct by the accused, and that if there had been, the facts would be time-barred. This is the second acquittal of the former executives, after they were acquitted in April 2022 for financing a real estate operation of Martín Gual in Son Bordoy, Mallorca. The ruling stated that the former executives ignored the financial situation of Sotohermoso, making loan decisions without considering the governing bodies of the savings bank and to the detriment of their interests.
The ruling determined that there was no evidence of the misappropriation of money or intent to profit by the accused, thus dismissing the violation of a director's duty. The National Court judged the former executives and the involved businessmen, with the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office requesting sentences of up to four years in prison for the top executives. Although inadequate and unprofessional management was acknowledged, the court determined that it did not constitute a crime, as the executives of the savings bank did not personally benefit.
