Sánchez Galán's counterattack against Florentino Pérez: Iberdrola demands 72.8 million from him for the damages of the 'Villarejo case'

Ignacio Sánchez Galán

goes on the counterattack against

The Court of First Instance number 14 of Madrid has admitted to process a claim by

against the president of Real Madrid and

in which it claims 72.8 million euros for the alleged damages that his accusation has been causing him in the framework of

.

The president of the electric company, Sánchez Galán, personally demands from Pérez the figure of

as compensation for the serious damages that, in his opinion, the action against him has caused him in the summary also baptized as

, which is being investigated in the Court of Instruction number 6 of the National Court.

The civil lawsuit, to which

access , maintains that Pérez's actions have been causing "serious moral, patrimonial and reputational damage" to the company, demands exemplary financial compensation as well as the prohibition that he continue to act against electric.

In this sense, it argues that the head of ACS has been using the courts for the last three years with the aim of harming Iberdrola and its shareholders through an "illegitimate, diverted and improper exercise of criminal action".

He adds that he has done so despite the fact that, the complaint maintains, "former commissioner José Manuel Villarejo never spied on Florentino Pérez and even less at the request of Iberdrola."

Sánchez Galán's lawsuit takes place a few months after the National Court confirmed the filing of the proceedings against the president of Iberdrola, who was initially charged with the crimes of

commercial document.

The Criminal Chamber finally concluded, following the criteria of the investigator Manuel García Castellón, that the possible facts investigated, which would have taken place between 2004 and 2009, would be prescribed.

The National Court found two alleged espionage projects carried out by Villarejo under the names of

.

In them, an investigation was carried out by the former police high command of an Iberdrola executive,

, as well as a supplier,

, for the alleged payment of illegal commissions.

Likewise, these investigations would have extended to Álvarez's relationship with Pérez to prevent ACS's assault on the electricity company.

"Mr. Pérez", argues Iberdrola's lawsuit, "under the apparent condition of offended/victim of an alleged crime of revealing secrets that Villarejo would have committed at the request of Iberdrola, appeared as a private prosecution and injured party".

His intention, according to the electricity company, was none other than to "damage Iberdrola to settle the personal account of the defeat he suffered in 2010, when he failed in his attempt to gain control" of the company.

But also to "eventually obtain a 'title'" against the electric company "with which to be able to compensate, even partially, for the enormous losses that his business adventurism caused him."

Iberdrola underlines that Pérez has continued to maintain his accusations despite the fact that "as of November 2021" the Internal Affairs Unit of the National Police "concludes in a pardoned manner that Villarejo did not spy on Mr. Pérez in the so-called

and

projects " .

So he concludes that he "was not a victim of a disclosure of secrets crime."

Likewise, it emphasizes that in June 2022 the Criminal Chamber of the National Court also concluded "indubitably" that the head of ACS "lacked the standing to direct the accusation, request investigative proceedings or appeal any resolution for different facts to the

and

projects ."

In summary, the electric company considers that far from trying to "determine the responsibility/participation of the alleged material authors of the alleged espionage to which it would have been subjected", Pérez "requested up to four times the summons of Iberdrola as investigated when

or intervention in the non-existent espionage to which it says it would have been subjected".

Reason for which, the lawsuit recalls, "the Public Prosecutor's Office has reported against the condition of Iberdrola being investigated."

"Mr. Pérez's conduct is causing serious reputational

, patrimonial and moral damage and constitutes an abuse of law that, in addition, exports to markets, particularly affecting those in which Iberdrola competes with ACS", the judicial claim abounds.

For all this, the electric company requests "the cessation of it, the prohibition of its reiteration and compensation for the damages that have been caused."

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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• Florentino Perez Rodriguez