Company: BBVXF
Filing Date: 2025-02-14
Form Type: 6-K
Source: 0001193125-25-027348
Chunk: 113

Company: BANCO BILBAO VIZCAYA ARGENTARIA, S.A.
Filing Date: 2025-02-14
Form: 6-K
Chunk 113
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 an investigated party in Preliminary Proceedings No. 96/2017 – Investigation stage number 9), for alleged facts that could constitute bribery, disclosure of secrets and corruption. Certain current and former officers and employees of the Group, as well as former directors, have also been named as investigated parties in connection with this investigation. Since the start of the investigation, BBVA has continued to proactively collaborate with the Spanish courts, having disclosed the information it gathered during the internal investigation carried out by the bank in 2019 to help clarify the circumstances. By order of the Criminal Chamber of the National Court (Audiencia Nacional), the pre-trialphase ended on January 29, 2024. On June 20, 2024, the judge issued an order agreeing to continue the proceedings through the summary proceedings against the Bank and against certain of its officers and employees, both current and former, as well as certain former directors, for alleged actions that could constitute the crimes of bribery, and the discovery and disclosure of secrets. It is not possible to predict at this time the possible outcomes or implications for the Group of this matter, including potential fines and damage or harm to the Group’s reputation arising therefrom. Since January 2019, this matter has been regularly reported on to the Bank’s corporate bodies, both to the Board Committees that have remit over such matters (Audit Committee and Risk and Compliance Committee) and to the full Board of Directors itself. These bodies have driven and supervised internal investigation processes, ensuring that the Company fully cooperates with the judicial authorities and develops a policy of transparency. In addition to the above, the Bank’s corporate bodies have continued to implement various measures to strengthen the BBVA’s internal control systems, some of which are described in the “Business conduct” section of the Non-FinancialStatement included as part of the consolidated 2024 Management Report, which includes the continuous improvements made to internal control processes and the crime prevention model. The relevant documentation obtained from the internal investigation undertaken by the Bank in 2019 to help clarify the facts indicates that none of the current members of the Board of Directors, nor the Bank’s current Chair, are implicated, and it has not been proven that the BBVA has committed any criminal activity. BBVA argues that no criminal liability arises for the Company from the facts investigated. It must also be stressed that, to date, the case has not impacted the development of the Bank’s business, nor has it negatively impacted the reputation indices, which are subject to recurrent monitoring by both