The president of the Basque steel company Sidenor, José Antonio Jainaga, and two other executives testified this Wednesday at midday before the National Court regarding an alleged crime of smuggling and complicity in a crime against humanity or genocide for the sale of steel to the Israeli company Israel Mil Systems, the main arms supplier to the Israeli army. This is the first investigation opened in this regard since the beginning of Israel's massacre in Gaza. Following a closed-door hearing that lasted just over an hour, Jainaga maintained that Sidenor did not commit "any irregularity." The president of the steel company demonstrated to the National Court judge that the steel manufactured by Sidenor and exported to Israel "is not among the products subject to special control by the administration." Sidenor maintains that at the time of the sale "there were no restrictions on trade relations" with Israel and that, in any case, sales "were interrupted" in July. Finally, the Basque company argued that it "had not received any restrictions from Spanish or European authorities" regarding the sale of steel in Benjamin Netanyahu's country. In other words, the sale under scrutiny would not be one of the steel sales included on the list of dual-use goods. "Our actions have always been subject to the strictest legality," Jainaga reiterated.

The investigating judge of the National Court, Francisco de Jorge, has opened an investigation against the president of the Basque steel company Sidenor, José Antonio Jainaga, for alleged crimes of smuggling and complicity in a crime against humanity or genocide for the sale of steel to the Israeli company Israel Military, the public company that is the main supplier of weapons to the Israeli army. The judge points out that the sale of steel on which he has opened the investigation would have been made with "full knowledge" that the company IMSI is a manufacturer of weapons, both heavy and light, and that the material supplied could be used for the manufacture of weapons in a context in which "it is public knowledge" what happens in Gaza, where for months Israel has been

The back-and-forth over control of Talgo continues. Finally, the Spanish government and the Basque government agreed that SEPI, the investment arm of the Spanish government, will participate in Sidenor's takeover of Talgo, as the regional government announced in a press release Tuesday night, following the Bilateral Commission between the two governments held in Madrid. "This is long-awaited news: both governments have channeled SEPI's participation to make the [Sidenor] operation viable and thus maintain Talgo's activity and occupation in the Basque Country," the Basque government reported. Beyond that, however, Basque Basque Regional President Imanol Pradales declined to go into detail about the basis of this participation, that is, whether it involves the purchase of a portion of Talgo's shares by SEPI or the granting of a long-term convertible loan, as reported by the newspaper. The CountryPradales explained that the agreement will be developed "in the coming weeks." "I want discretion," he said. Be that as it may, the move provides a breath of fresh air that should allow the Basque company Sidenor to take definitive control of Talgo: the entry of SEPI would be a way to strengthen the company's accounts and allow banks to refinance its debt.

Talgo remains in Basque hands. After months of back-and-forth, the English fund Trilantic has closed an agreement with the steel company Sidenor for the purchase of 29.7% of the train manufacturer's share capital, as reported by the company through the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) this Friday afternoon. The outcome has come after Sidenor has once again improved its offer, raising it to 184 million euros. In addition, it is an offer that has the financial support of the Basque government, as well as the BBK and Vital foundations, shareholders of the Kutxabank bank. This Friday afternoon, the lehendakari Imanol Pradales was "optimistic" about the outcome of the negotiation: "[The agreement] will contribute to consolidating Talgo's roots in Euskadi, to reinforcing industrial employment and strengthening the future of the company," said Pradales.