In a notable ruling, the National Court addressed the case involving an Andorran businessman connected to prominent football circles. The court decided that the Ministry of Justice must compensate him 70,000 euros for non-pecuniary detention after 645 days of temporary custody, a period spanning almost 22 months. The verdict, issued on March 22, was reported to El Periódico de España, part of the Prensa Ibérica group.
In April 2019, the court had deemed Besolí, Sandro Rosell, and the other defendants presumed innocent of the charges they faced, which included money laundering and participation in a criminal organization. The prosecution did not escalate the case to the Supreme Court.
The Third Chamber of the contested Administrative Division partially granted Besolí’s appeal to the Ministry of Justice. The court dismissed the case related to an inheritance liability claim amounting to 4,609,622 euros. Those familiar with the case indicate the businessman plans to pursue an appeal to challenge the ruling further.
Unaccountable Behavior
Besolí asserted that the deprivation of liberty caused a sequence of personal and familial harms that affected his reputation and public image. He described himself as a man of impeccable conduct and noted his significant public profile in Andorra where he is a minister of finance and a well-known businessman with an annual income around 200,000 euros. He argued that the charges, particularly the allegation of money laundering connected to an alleged improper collection of commissions for the Brazil national football team audiovisual rights and a contract with Nike, damaged his reputation amid extensive media coverage. The ruling, reflecting the information from Rosell’s associate, cast doubt on his public image given the broad reach of media and online discussion.
Besolí relied on his involvement in the Rosell case and football rights as part of a broader argument. The discussion resonated in Andorra, a country with a population of roughly 77,000, where questions arose about what it meant to challenge a flawless personal and professional career. The National Court’s decision acknowledged that events connected to his business activities had been carried out successfully up to that point and noted the significance of the allegations within the broader context of public life.
Family Consequences
The period of deprivation of liberty also took a toll on Besolí’s family life, which had remained stable for decades. Visits from relatives were severely restricted and telephone calls were tightly limited to those approved by prison authorities. The court’s decision highlighted a consequential impact on the family’s psychological state, underscoring how the detention affected daily life and family dynamics after so many years of stability.
In the Rosell matter, the Justice Department asked the National Court not to recognize the former head of Barcelona’s compensation for damages, which the court initially assessed at more than 27 euros for each day of preventive detention, totaling 17,415 euros. Besolí’s legal team sought a much larger sum, proposing a figure around 29.7 million euros, arguing that the damages extended beyond simple financial loss to include profound personal and reputational harm.
Earlier reporting indicated investigative actions linked to the administration during 2014, involving state security and police structures. These reports, if supported by further court scrutiny, could influence ongoing considerations about the conduct of public authorities during that period. The court’s decision on the Besolí matter remains a focal point for discussions about accountability, due process, and the balance between criminal investigations and the protection of individual rights within the Spanish judicial system. (Source: El Periódico de España, Prensa Ibérica group)