Spain’s National Court (Audiencia Nacional) has sent BBVA, its former chairman Francisco González and 14 other individuals — former bank executives and police officers — to trial over the bank’s alleged hiring of former police commissioner José Manuel Villarejo to carry out surveillance between 2004 and 2016.
The charges
Judge Antonio Piña has ordered the trial for 52 alleged offences of discovery and disclosure of secrets, related to privacy, and a continuing offence of active bribery. The bank is also on trial as a legal entity, which could expose it to fines if it is convicted.
All the defendants are presumed innocent, and BBVA and González have denied wrongdoing.
What is alleged
The accusations claim that, from 2004 to 2016, BBVA paid companies linked to Villarejo for intelligence work, including:
- gathering confidential information on business rivals;
- monitoring politicians, businesspeople and journalists;
- using the information obtained to gain advantages in negotiations and legal disputes.
Because Villarejo was a serving police officer at the time, payments to him for private work are alleged to amount to bribery.
The main figures
Francisco González. Chairman of BBVA from 2000 to 2018. The accusations claim he knew about and approved the contracts with Villarejo. Some of the parties are seeking very long prison sentences.
José Manuel Villarejo. The former National Police commissioner at the heart of the “Tándem” case, in which he is accused of running a business selling intelligence services to private clients while still a serving officer. He has already been convicted in other parts of the wider case.
Julio Corrochano. BBVA’s head of security from 2002 to 2018 and himself a former police commissioner. The accusations describe him as the main link between the bank and Villarejo’s companies.
Other defendants
The defendants also include former senior BBVA executives in areas such as legal services, regulation, internal audit and risk — among them former chief executive Ángel Cano — as well as Villarejo’s long-time business partner Rafael Redondo and three former senior National Police officers accused of helping provide information.
Why the case matters
The trial is one of the most significant corporate cases in Spain in recent years: it is rare for one of the country’s largest banks and its former chairman to face criminal trial. The outcome could shape how companies manage security and intelligence work, and their relationships with current and former police officers.
