Andorra Court Expands Landstreet Indictment in BPA Case

Andorra's Batllia court has expanded the indictment in the Landstreet case connected to the nationalized Banca Privada d’Andorra (BPA), supporting claims by the Andorran Social Security Fund (CASS) and prosecutors. The 70-page order, notified last Friday before the 11th anniversary of BPA's intervention on March 10, 2015, focuses on referral agreements and payments via Landstreet, BPA's entity for such activities.

The court ruled illegal a referral contract between Landstreet and a top BPA executive in Mexico, pointing to unauthorized banking and money laundering risks from lacking local permits. It assigned civil liability and upheld retention of seized funds. Charges target three senior Landstreet officials for not paying CASS contributions on payments described as advisory fees to the Dolphin fund; those charged maintain these were non-taxable dividends. A payments executive faces accusations over oversight failures, though the court acknowledged Landstreet had no formal administrator then.

Account freezes on BPA staff, referrers, and suppliers—some ongoing for years—remain in place. The ruling warns that even lifted embargoes could lead to repayment demands if later ruled improper. One former BPA Assegurances executive, previously named administrator of the intervened Assegurances Generals, avoids these restrictions; the court now views his Landstreet-related receipts as legitimate, lifting blocks and clearing liability.

BPA associates decry the timing as deliberate pressure around anniversaries to justify state seizures from executives, employees, and contractors. They point to decontextualized leaks and Latin American probes as tactics to sustain investigations, amid frustration over Andorra's response to alleged sovereignty breaches.

This comes as Spain's Pujol trial at Madrid's Audiència Nacional draws heavily on Andorran testimony. Former BPA CEO Joan Pau Miquel testified in person, detailing Spanish police pressure from figures including Bonifacio Díez Sevillano, Celestino Barroso, and Marcelino Martín Blas. He described Barroso—recorded in a meeting—claiming to act "on behalf of the Spanish state," pushing collaboration with a contact "Fèlix" (identified as Martín Blas) via Sepblac mechanisms and U.S. involvement that would "kill the bank." Miquel confirmed Pujol family accounts from 2010 to 2014 through Panamanian foundations for confidentiality, not opacity, with no rogatory commissions at the time. He noted cash deposits were routine at BPA, with no special treatment for the Pujols, and recounted a meeting where Martín Blas presented a document stating Spain was "at war with Catalan nationalism," demanding data on Mas, Junqueras, and Pujol families.

Upcoming witnesses include Andorrans such as Josep Duró, Manel Cerqueda, Antoni Zorzano, Antoni Rebés, Higini Cierco, Josep Maria Pallerola, and Jorge Cabarrocas, alongside Barroso—after an earlier citation mix-up summoned an unrelated retiree. BPA sources invoke José Manuel Villarejo's claims of Spanish government orchestration.

Separately, www.bpanews.com launched Tuesday, aggregating over 1,000 media links on the BPA intervention and Spanish subsidiaries, framing it as a politically motivated operation against Catalan independence without key targets like Pujol accounts.