Sánchez Galán says that he neither ordered nor authorized the hiring of Villarejo

The president of Iberdrola, Ignacio Sanchez Galan, has assured this Tuesday in the National Court that he neither ordered, nor authorized nor knew the intelligence services that companies linked to the former National Police commissioner José Manuel Villarejo lent to the electric company.

Sánchez Galán, who has appeared for just over two hours as an investigator, has said that he was the real person spied on and that he wants this to be clarified, to which the judge Manuel Garcia Castellon He has replied that if he is interested in being investigated, he should come in person.

The case tries to clarify whether Iberdrola hired Villarejo for an amount of one million euros between 2004 and 2012 to infiltrate platforms contrary to his interests or investigate a shareholder critical of his management, among other things.

According to legal sources, the president of the multinational has disassociated himself from contracting Villarejo’s services, and has explained that, given his position, he focuses on ensuring the company’s strategy and seeking new investments.

The president of the electricity company, who has answered questions from the judge, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and his own defense, has maintained that the services to Villarejo were an “improper contracting” of Antonio Asenjo, who was finally dismissed.

During his interrogation, he was also asked about the meeting at his house with the former security director of Iberdrola, an appointment published by some media.

According to the same sources, Sánchez Galán has asserted that it is a custom, since he receives many employees at his home, where he has his office on Sundays.

As stated in the summary, among the requested services would be an investigation of the president of ACS and Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, for his attempt to take control of the company.

Sánchez Galán has stressed that he feels “a great deal of respect” for Pérez, and has added that he finds it “deplorable and inadmissible if they have spied on him”.

The president of Iberdrola has had to appear in person despite the fact that last week he requested in writing to do so by videoconference.

Iberdrola denounces a campaign against Galán with the aim of trying to take over the company

Iberdrola has denounced a “systematic campaign of harassment” against its president, to “tear him down” and for the company to change hands, according to company sources.

Sources from the energy company consider that the “only objective” of this campaign is to take over the multinational given its enormous international value.

Thus, they emphasize that “an attempt has been made to discredit Galán with a complaint that has been proven false and a false witness whom the press has discovered a strong increase in assets.”

end of 2019

The case dates from the end of 2019, after it was published that Iberdrola hired Villarejo to spy on a judge, infiltrate on platforms contrary to the interests of the electricity company, harass members of the works council of the Cofrents nuclear power plant or investigate a shareholder who is critical of the company’s management.

In that car, the magistrate appreciated indications that there was “will” on the part of the electricity company of hide the works commissioned to Cenyt, as it would show that the invoices were issued by a different company.

In total, the judge warned, between 2004 and 2012 fifteen invoices without order issued by the Villarejo company appear as received and paid, for an amount of 1,047,324 euros. Among the requested services is the so-called “posy project“, focused on investigating the president of ACS and Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, “in order to discover any circumstance that, if necessary, could be used in a conflict scenario with Iberdrola.”

In fact, among the intervened documentation were data from the census of Pérez and his family; by then, in 2009, Sánchez Galán “already held the position of president.”