Company: BCDRF
Filing Date: 2025-01-02
Form Type: 6-K
Source: 0000891478-25-000002
Chunk: 34

Company: Banco Santander, S.A.
Filing Date: 2025-01-02
Form: 6-K
Chunk 34
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 Likewise, numerous appeals were filed against Banco Santander, S.A. alleging that the information provided by Banco Popular was erroneous and requesting from Banco Santander, S.A. the restitution of the price paid for the acquisition of the investment instruments or, where appropriate, the corresponding compensation.

In relation to these appeals, on the one hand, the General Court of the European Union (GCUE) selected 5 appeals from among all those filed before the European courts by various investors against the European institutions and processed them as pilot cases. On 1 June 2022, the GCUE rendered five judgements in which it completely dismissed the appeals, (i) supporting the legality of the resolution framework applied to Banco Popular, (ii) confirming the legality of the action of the European institutions in the resolution of Banco Popular and (iii) rejecting, in particular, all the allegations that there were irregularities in the sale process of Banco Popular to Banco Santander, S.A. Although four of these five judgments were initially appealed in cassation before the CJEU, in July 2023 one of the appellants withdrew his appeal. In June 2024, the CJEU upheld the appeal in case C-551/22-P brought by the Commission. In October 2024 the CJEU has dismissed the appeals in cases C-535/22-P, C-541/22-P and C-448/22-P. Therefore, all appeals before the CJEU have already been resolved.

On the other hand, in relation to the lawsuits initiated by investors directly against Banco Santander, S.A. derived from the acquisition of Banco Popular, on 2 September 2020, the Provincial Court of La Coruña submitted a preliminary ruling to the CJEU in which it asked for the correct interpretation of the Article 60, section 2 of Directive 2014/59/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May, establishing a framework for the restructuring and resolution of credit institutions and investment services companies. Said article establishes that, in the cases of redemption of capital instruments in a bank resolution, no liability will subsist in relation to the amount of the instrument that has been redeemed. On 5 May 2022, the CJEU rendered its judgement confirming that Directive 2014/59/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council does not allow that, after the total redemption of the shares of the share capital of a credit institution or an investment services company subject to a resolution procedure, the shareholders who have acquired shares