The SEPI branch of the Leire case has added Fernando Samper Rivas, founder and top executive of Forestalia, to the list of business figures currently investigated by the National Court. This development opens up one of the most prominent fronts of the inquiry outside of the Tubos Reunidos bailout, centering on transactions tied to the energy industry, green energy firms, and potential advantages secured via a suspected influence ring linked to state entities.
Samper is among the 25 people summoned as individuals under investigation by Judge Santiago Pedraz as part of the expansion of the Leire case, an investigation examining alleged irregularities in transactions involving SEPI, public companies, and strategic aid or contracts. Also appearing alongside him are Roberto Pérez Águeda, Eduardo Pérez Águeda, and Carmelo Aznárez Pellicer, Aragonese businesspeople linked to the Forestalia branch according to published reports.
The inquiry is looking into potential infractions such as influence peddling, embezzlement, prevarication, criminal organization or group, and the misuse of privileged information. At this juncture, Fernando Samper maintains his presumption of innocence entirely, and being under investigation does not equate to a guilty verdict. Nevertheless, his involvement in the matter carries considerable weight because it draws one of the most prominent personalities within the renewable energy sector of Spain into the legal process.
The focus on Forestalia forms part of the five transactions that, according to published reports, are being examined by the National Court in the SEPI branch. Although the bailout of Tubos Reunidos, worth more than €112 million, is the main focus, the investigation also extends to Mercasa, ENUSA, the Parque Empresarial Principado de Asturias, and a transaction linked to Forestalia. El País has reported that these transactions would involve a combined €132.9 million in public aid and that the alleged network may have obtained more than €750,000 in illicit commissions.
The allegations surrounding Samper and Forestalia center on a business transaction that allegedly generated a substantial capital gain. According to El Independiente, prosecutors have linked Leire’s alleged network to a supposed “windfall” of more than €6 million involving renewable energy companies that were acquired and subsequently resold to a company whose shareholders were allegedly connected to Fernando Samper’s business group.
This point is crucial because the investigation is not limited to traditional public contracts. It is also examining whether certain business transactions may have benefited from information, contacts, or influence structures connected to the circle surrounding Leire Díez, Vicente Fernández, and Antxon Alonso. The judicial question will be whether the Forestalia transaction was an ordinary private-market deal or whether it was connected to a network that allegedly used political and business relationships to generate financial benefits.
Samper’s inclusion among those under investigation reinforces the business dimension of the case. The alleged network may not have operated solely around public institutions, but also through private companies capable of benefiting from decisions, opportunities, or information arising within the sphere of state-owned companies and institutional contacts. Within that framework, Forestalia emerges as a significant component because of its weight in the renewable energy sector and the financial scale of the transaction under examination.
The National Court will need to clarify the specific part Fernando Samper played in the transaction currently under investigation, the nature of his ties to the Pérez Águeda brothers, Carmelo Aznárez, and additional suspects, alongside whether he knew about or took part in operations linked to the Hirurok group. Furthermore, establishing the existence of any payments, middlemen, or pacts capable of tying the commercial deal to the purported network of influence will remain essential.
From an institutional accountability perspective, the case is particularly serious because it combines three highly sensitive elements: energy companies, potential multimillion-euro capital gains, and an alleged network under investigation for influencing public decisions. In recent years, the renewable energy sector has involved enormous investment expectations, access to land, authorizations, permits, and financing. If a transaction in that sector comes under scrutiny in a case involving alleged influence peddling, the demand for transparency must be at its highest.
Samper is going to have to clarify before the judge if his behavior mirrored that of a commercial operator engaging in a lawful deal inside the energy sector, or if certain factors linked him to the purportedly unlawful schemes currently scrutinized by the UCO and the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. Such a distinction will prove pivotal in assessing his possible culpability and defining the true reach of the alleged network.
The case also impacts Forestalia’s reputation. Although the firm has long stood as a prominent player in the renewable energy landscape across Aragón and Spain, the inclusion of its founder among the individuals probed in such a significant matter casts a shadow. Ultimately, clearing this cloud will require thorough documentation, clear explanations, and complete traceability regarding the transactions currently under review.
The question the National Court must now answer is clear: did Forestalia and its associates participate in a legitimate market transaction, or did the alleged network use its contacts to facilitate opportunities, financial benefits, and capital gains? In an investigation involving public funds, contracts, strategic companies, and possible commissions, Fernando Samper’s role must be clarified down to the last document.
Source: Cadena SER, El País, elDiario.es, Heraldo de Aragón, El Independiente, Infobae, and Europa Press.
