A Spanish court is probing senior Sidenor executives for allegedly supplying steel to Israel Military Industries in violation of Spain’s arms embargo imposed after the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
Spain has launched a judicial investigation into senior executives of the steelmaker Sidenor over allegations of covertly supplying materials to Israel Military Industries in violation of the country’s arms embargo imposed after Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, Agence France-Presse reported on Friday.
The probe, announced by Spain’s Audiencia Nacional court, reportedly targets Sidenor chairman José Antonio Jainaga and two other company officials. They are accused of selling steel to Israel without government authorization or proper registration and with knowledge that the material “was going to be used for the manufacturing of weapons,” according to a court statement.
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According to AFP, the court clarified that Sidenor itself is not under investigation, citing the role of whistleblowers within the company who exposed the alleged transactions and “helped prevent the continuation of the criminal activity.”
The three executives are due to appear before the investigating judge on November 12, following a complaint filed by a pro-Palestinian association in Spain, the report added.
In response, Sidenor was quoted as saying that it had “placed the matter in the hands of its lawyers” and pledged to cooperate fully, promising to provide “all the information it has at its disposal.”
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Spain halted all weapons exchanges with Tel Aviv after the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war on October 7, 2023.
The embargo formally became law earlier this month as part of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s broader measures to stop the genocide.
Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians and wounded over 170,000 more.
(PC, AFP)
