The business scene in Gran Canaria has been shaken by the latest revelations about a family dispute that has escalated to the courts. The Court of Las Palmas has left the trial between the Santana Cazorla brothers and Santiago's children against their uncle Manuel ready for sentencing, following Lopesan's entry into the Anfi del Mar Group. What did Santiago say about Manuel in court: "He betrayed me and deceived my children to get my competitor into the company. That's why I'm annoyed with him." And what about Manuel's nephew and Santiago's son, Alberto Santana Trujillo? "First they took away Santiago's powers and then Manuel gave up, giving the management to Lopesan." At this point, what did Manuel Santana Cazorla respond? "To say that Eustasio López, president of Lopesan, paid me to share the money is a lie by the plaintiffs."
The controversy arose after Manuel Santana Cazorla, Arturo Ramírez González and Manuel Fernández González, former number two of the PP in the Canary Islands, were accused of disloyal administration by firing and then rehiring Ramírez, causing significant economic damage to the company. In Las Palmas, Manuel Fernández González's case has been silenced.
After two days of trial and the presentation of more than ten witnesses and two experts, the Las Palmas Public Prosecutor's Office and the private prosecution, represented by lawyer Francisco Calderón on behalf of the heirs of Santiago Santana Cazorla, maintained their provisional conclusions. They accuse the accused of a crime of disloyal administration and demand three years in prison for each one, a fine of 15.500 euros and the return of the compensation paid to Ramírez. According to the prosecution, the compensation of 780.940 euros was a covert payment for the renunciation of the special powers of the Santana Cazorla Group.
For their part, the defense requested the acquittal of the accused, arguing that the dismissal and subsequent rehiring of Ramírez was an administrative matter within the company's discretion, especially after the arrival of IFA, which belongs to Lopesan and bought the Lyng family's shares in Anfi. For the defense, this complaint is nothing more than a "family dispute", motivated by the discontent of Santiago Santana's children at being in the minority and losing the vote in the board of directors.
During the hearing, Santiago Santana accused his brother Manuel of betraying and deceiving his children to allow Lopesan to enter the company, which aggravated the power struggle within the group. Santiago's heirs insisted that the compensation of almost 800.000 euros was a disguised payment, and both Santiago and his family ratified the complaint. On the other hand, Arturo Ramírez defended the authenticity of his contract and denied any agreement with the Lopesan Group, stating that the accusations were false.
