Company: BCDRF
Filing Date: 2025-07-31
Form Type: 6-K
Source: 0000891478-25-000111
Chunk: 119

Company: Banco Santander, S.A.
Filing Date: 2025-07-31
Form: 6-K
Chunk 119
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 compatibility of the principles of proportionality and legal certainty with the bringing of legal actions by former holders of pre-emptive subscription rights and shares against the entity issuing the securities or against the entity succeeding it, which is currently suspended; and (ii) two preliminary rulings referred by the Supreme Court in November 2023 regarding a holder of subordinated bonds who filed a claim against Banco Popular before the resolution; and which will be resolved by the CJEU on 11 September 2025.

On 4 March 2024, in the context of preliminary proceedings 42/2017, the Central Court of Instruction No. 4 issued a ruling transforming the proceedings into Summary Proceedings and terminating the investigation phase. The ruling considers that the circumstantial evidence resulting from the investigation which could constitute a crime is basically the following: (i) an alleged misrepresentation in the prospectus of the 2016 capital increase of Banco Popular; (ii) an alleged misrepresentation in the annual accounts of Banco Popular for 2015, the interim financial statements for 2016 and the annual accounts for 2016; and (iii) the offer to the market of a distorted amount of regulatory capital, after the capital increase of 2016 (for allegedly having been granted by Banco Popular financing to clients for the subscription of shares in the aforementioned capital increase, without discounting it from the regulatory capital). According to the aforementioned ruling, these facts could constitute the crimes of fraud of investors (art. 282 of the Criminal Code) and accounting falsehood (art. 290 of the Criminal Code). All appeals filed against the ruling have been dismissed.

| 126 |     | January - June 2025 |

The accusing parties, including the Public Prosecutor's Office, filed their indictment briefs on 28 October 2024, which included requests for compensation for civil liability and the request that not only the defendants but also several entities are held liable for such compensation, including Banco Santander, S.A., the auditing firm and several insurance companies. Following the filing of the indictment briefs, on 22 November 2024, the Court (Investigating Judge) issued an order for the opening of the oral trial against the defendants and civil liability parties, including Banco Santander, S.A. as a possible civil liable party. However, in line with what was determined by the Spanish National Court and confirmed by the Supreme Court concerning the hypothetical succession of Banco Popular by Banco Santander, S.A., the oral trial has not been opened against the Bank as possible