Spanish prosecutor requests trial against BBVA in alleged espionage case

MADRID (Reuters) – Spain's anti-corruption prosecutor has requested a trial against BBVA and its former president Francisco Gonzalez for alleged corruption and disclosure of company secrets, as part of an investigation into allegations of corporate espionage.

In a court document reviewed by Reuters, prosecutor Alejandro Cabaleiro Armesto asked High Court investigating judge Manuel Garcia Castellon to open oral proceedings against the lender and Gonzalez, among others.

BBVA and representatives for Gonzalez declined to comment.

The action was first reported by Bloomberg News.

BBVA was investigated in July 2019 for hiring a private investigation agency allegedly headed by incumbent police commissioner José Manuel Villarejo.

The case is part of a broader investigation dating back to 2004 into Villarejo, who denies any wrongdoing.

Gonzalez, who was president of BBVA at the time the bank hired the agency, had temporarily resigned as honorary president in March 2019 to avoid damage to the bank's reputation. He also denied any wrongdoing.

BBVA previously confirmed it had hired the agency but found no evidence of spying. Prosecutors say the bank paid the agency more than 10 million euros ($10.85 million).

BBVA is the second largest Spanish bank in terms of stock market value after Banco Santander. Last month, it announced a 12 billion euro takeover bid for Banco Sabadell.

No member of the bank's current board of directors was involved in the incident under investigation.

In its 2021 annual report, BBVA said it could not predict the outcome or implications of the case, including fines or reputational damage.

($1 = 0.9219 euros)

(Reporting by Jesús Aguado; editing by Christopher Cushing)