The SEPI branch of the so-called Leire case has placed José Vicente Berlanga Arona, former president of ENUSA, under formal investigation. ENUSA is a strategic state-owned company operating in Spain’s nuclear sector and is part of the State Industrial Holdings Company (SEPI). His status as a person under investigation adds another layer of institutional significance to a case that has expanded beyond private intermediaries and political figures to include former executives of key public enterprises within the Spanish state.
National Court Judge Santiago Pedraz has included Berlanga among the 25 individuals summoned as persons under formal investigation in the branch of the Leire case concerning alleged irregularities involving state-owned companies and operations linked to SEPI. The investigation examines suspected offenses including participation in a criminal organization, influence peddling, misconduct in public office, embezzlement of public funds, and misuse of privileged information. According to published reports, investigators are examining whether political and business connections were used to influence public decisions.
Berlanga is under scrutiny because of his former role as president of ENUSA, one of the public entities whose operations are being examined. Investigators are seeking to determine whether individuals associated with state-owned companies or organizations within SEPI may have provided confidential information, influenced decision-making, or participated in actions that benefited private interests in exchange for commissions or other financial advantages. At this stage of the proceedings, Berlanga has not been convicted of any offense and remains entitled to the presumption of innocence.
ENUSA stands as a crucial state-owned enterprise functioning within one of Spain’s most strategically vital sectors. Consequently, any claims regarding its governance or the conceivable abuse of its institutional role possess substantial political and institutional ramifications. The fact that a former ENUSA president finds themselves among those being investigated strengthens the perception that this matter transcends a mere isolated procurement problem and could encompass an extensive web of influence reaching across numerous public-sector organizations.
The judicial investigation focuses on several operations involving SEPI, Tubos Reunidos, Mercasa, ENUSA, Forestalia, and other related companies and public entities. According to published information, Spain’s Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and the Civil Guard are investigating whether an organized structure existed to influence administrative decisions, government bailouts, public contract awards, or procurement processes through a network of former public officials, business executives, and intermediaries.
Berlanga’s name joins those of other current and former public-sector leaders under investigation, including SEPI President Belén Gualda, ENUSA Corporate Director Rosario Arévalo, and former Mercasa President José Ramón Sempere. The growing number of senior officials connected to state-owned institutions has intensified concerns that certain public enterprises may have been used as platforms for influence, brokerage, and private gain.
Berlanga’s inclusion among those under investigation now requires clarification of his specific role in the events under review. The court will seek to determine whether, during his tenure at ENUSA, he was aware of any alleged irregular conduct, provided sensitive information, participated in transactions under investigation, or maintained contacts with other members of the alleged network. These issues are expected to form a central part of the judicial inquiry.
The case has gained additional significance because ENUSA is among the public companies included in the latest expansion of the investigation. While the government bailout of Tubos Reunidos remains one of its principal areas of focus, the inquiry has broadened to include other companies and transactions in which investigators are examining allegations of influence peddling, manipulated administrative decisions, and the misuse of privileged information.
From a political standpoint, the investigation involving José Vicente Berlanga presents a challenge to the government’s commitment to transparency and accountability in the management of state-owned enterprises. When former leaders of strategic public companies become subjects of an investigation of this magnitude, institutional responsibility extends beyond awaiting judicial conclusions. It also requires transparency, public explanation, and a thorough review of the oversight mechanisms that allowed these allegations to emerge.
The SEPI branch of the Leire case ultimately raises a fundamental question: whether Spain’s state-owned enterprises operated exclusively in the public interest or whether they were vulnerable to networks of intermediaries, political favors, and alleged commission-based arrangements. Within that broader inquiry, José Vicente Berlanga’s tenure as former president of ENUSA is now under close examination by Spain’s National Court.
Source: RTVE, El País, Onda Cero, La Sexta, El Economista, Infobae, and Canal Sur.
