Company: BCDRF
Filing Date: 2025-10-29
Form Type: 6-K
Source: 0000891478-25-000138
Chunk: 33

Company: Banco Santander, S.A.
Filing Date: 2025-10-29
Form: 6-K
Chunk 33
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 the EU’s Single Resolution Board decision, and the FROB's resolution executed in accordance with the aforementioned decision. Likewise, numerous civil lawsuits 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 the direct appeals filed before the General Court of the European Union (EGC) and the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), all appeals were either dismissed or discontinued. Currently, there are no ongoing appeals.

In the civil proceedings, several Spanish judges referred to the CJEU a number of preliminary questions that have already been resolved. In particular, in the judgments of 5 May 2022 (C-410/20) and 5 September 2024 (C-775/22, C-779/22, C-794/22), the CJEU stated that Directive 2014/59/EU on bank resolution prevents shareholders, subordinated debt holders, and holders of equity instruments converted into shares bringing actions against a financial institution subject to a resolution proceeding or against its successor after the resolution, claiming liability for the information contained in the prospectus, under Directive 2003/71/EC, or actions seeking the nullity of the contract of subscription of capital instruments, which, given its retroactive effects, would result in the refund of the value of such securities, plus the interest accrued as of the date of execution of the contract. In its 11 September 2025 resolutions (C-687/23 and C-447/23), the CJEU declared that the above referred TJUE resolutions do not apply to actions pursued prior to the entity’s resolution. There are currently no other preliminary questions under consideration.

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