Overview
- In a Nov. 5 hearing at Spain’s Audiencia Nacional, Fernández admitted the charges in the Saqueo II case and accepted €4,050 in fines plus €258,000 in restitution to the Marbella city council.
- Marbella municipal sources say accrued interest could push the total payment close to €500,000.
- Fernández was detained on Oct. 29 at Madrid-Barajas airport after returning from Argentina, where he had lived since fleeing in 2006.
- The agreement avoids a full trial and prison time, whereas earlier prosecutorial requests sought up to 10 years for malfeasance and passive bribery linked to payments from Juan Antonio Roca.
- The outcome represents one of the last judgments stemming from Operación Malaya, which uncovered large-scale diversion of municipal funds in the 1990s.