The National High Court has opened a trial for BBVA, González and 14 other persons in connection with the Villarejo case

Judge Antonio Piña of the National High Court has opened oral proceedings against BBVA, the former president of Francisco González banco and 14 other persons, includingthe former directors of the bank\u00A0  and the chiefs of police, for alleged illegal orders to police commissioner José Manuel Villarejo between 2004 and 2016.

In the order for the opening of oral proceedings, the magistrate has taken up the indictments of the Public Prosecutor's Office and the individual indictments and has decided to prosecute the BBVA fortheoffences of bribery  and 52 offences of discovery and disclosure of secrets.

Inthe case of Francisco González en , the investigator has referred him to trial for active and passive briberyoffences , 42 crimes of discovery and disclosure of secrets, criminal group, unfair administration and documentary falsehood.

In the decision, the judge sets the amount of EUR 1.73 million for the securing of civil liability and warns that his property will be disposed of if such bail is not deposited within three days, and considers the Criminal Chamber to be the body responsible for prosecuting such acts.

Thus, in addition to the former leadership of the organization, the former Chief of Security, formerCommissioner of Police Julio Corrochano , and other police officers linked to Villarejo will sit on the bench.

The formerchiefexecutive of the bank Ángel Cano , theformer director of the legal services of the bank Eduardo Arbizu \u00A0, the former director of the cabinet of the presidency of the entity Joaquín Gortari  and theformer director of risk of the bank Antonio Bejar  are also among the defendants.

The judge states in his brief that, in the opinion of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, the former president of the BBVA is sentenced to 173 years' imprisonment for the offences of active bribery and disclosure of secrets in the hiring of the company Cenyt, linked to the former commissioner.

Villarejo faces 216 years' imprisonment and 243 years' imprisonment for Julio Corrochano, who was head of security at the bank.

As explained by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, the engagements described between the BBVA and Cenyt, as well as payments for services rendered under these orders, were possible "because they were directly authorized by the President of the entity and the senior management."

The Bank did not have a prevention programme that provided for possible illegal conduct by members of the Presidency.

Although these contracts and payments "violated allthe procedural rules on the formalization of services as well as the processing and payment of invoices  ", the personnel involved in the processing accepted them, the letter adds.

This was due to the "conviction that they should follow the instructionsof the Presidency or of the Senior Management, whether or not they conform to the applicable Rules of Procedure. "