The 'Popular case' sees its end after five years of investigation in the National Court

The last proceedings carried out by the judge leave the investigation phase on the verge of its conclusion

MADRID, 12 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The case in which the judge of the National Court José Luis Calama investigates the alleged accounting irregularities of Banco Popular in 2016 and the leaks to the press a year later that would have caused its resolution in mid-2017 sees its end after five years research.

The legal sources consulted by Europa Press have indicated that the investigation phase is close to its conclusion after the head of the Central Investigation Court Number 4 has listened to the main protagonists, among whom are the former presidents of Popular, the former Minister of Economy Luis de Guindos or leaders of international organizations such as the Single Resolution Board, and has collected numerous documents and expert reports.

The investigation into El Popular, which was initially assumed by the then head of the court, Fernando Andreu, represents the most extensive and complex case that Calama is in charge of, and to which he has dedicated a large part of his efforts since he arrived at the Central de Instruction Number 4, which is also responsible for delving into the alleged espionage of members of the Government in the 'Pegasus case'.

A little over a month after the National High Court closes in August, the same sources point out that this procedural phase aimed at clarifying the facts has matured enough to advance to its next stage, especially after the practice of the last statements and the advances in the separate piece in which the magistrate focused on customer financing for the 2016 extension.

In this regard, and according to the same sources, the judge has already received the report that he commissioned at the end of April from the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF). Specifically, the magistrate ordered to analyze the statements of up to 1,417 clients who would have bought shares of the bank during the aforementioned increase in order to determine their behavior pattern.

This field work came as a result of the proceedings agreed by Calama in the secret piece that the magistrate created in March to avoid "interference" in the investigations. The month that the secrecy of the proceedings persisted served, precisely, for the agents to carry out the aforementioned interviews with clients located throughout the Spanish geography.

Regarding the statements in court, the last practiced by the instructor was held last Tuesday, when he was able to hear the former director of the Legal Services of Banco Popular Tomás Pereira Peña. It was a statement that, according to other sources, was of special relevance insofar as it would serve to put black on white the operations that the entity carried out with the venture capital company Thesan Capital.

Despite its importance, the magistrate handed over the burden of the interrogation to prosecutor Antonio Romeral, who was in charge of directing a statement in which Pereira discharged responsibility for the operations in which he was CEO of the bank, Francisco Gómez.

With no new summons on the horizon, last May the magistrate rejected the proceedings requested by the former president of the entity, Ángel Ron, who sought to demonstrate that in May 2017 - after his departure from the management - the bank did not present problems of solvency or risk of illiquidity.

Calama's refusal led Ron to appeal to the Criminal Chamber to force the judge to check whether the directors of Popular were adequately informed of the meaning and significance of the agreements adopted at the last council meeting held on June 7 2017, especially regarding the bank's declaration of non-viability.

That request by the former president of the bank was supported by the Mexican investor and former director of Popular, Antonio del Valle, who also asked that the judge be urged to complete these proceedings. Both requests, however, have not yet received a response from the Chamber.