Andorra’s Prime Minister Faces Legal Action Over BPA Scandal

1. Andorra’s Prime Minister Faces Legal Action Over BPA Scandal Higini Cierco, the former majority shareholder of Banca Privada d’Andorra (BPA), has filed a criminal complaint in the Andorran Tribunal de Corts (Court of First Instance) against the Head of Government, Xavier Espot Zamora. The charges include fraud, influence peddling, and waste of public funds, all linked to Espot’s role in the controversial intervention and dissolution of BPA. The complaint highlights Espot's involvement during his tenure as Minister of Justice (2011–2019) and Prime Minister (2019–present). It alleges that Espot, given his position within the government, had firsthand knowledge of decisions and actions related to the BPA case, some of which may constitute criminal offenses. Key Allegations: ● The government reportedly had advance knowledge of the events leading to BPA’s downfall and awarded a contract to draft the AREB law (known as Lex BPA), enabling the government to take over BPA. The speed of the law’s drafting suggests prior notice of FinCEN’s actions. ● An amendment to the AREB law exonerated shareholders with less than 10% ownership, an exception seen as discriminatory. This amendment allegedly benefited Espot’s family, specifically his aunt, Anna Maria Zamora Bonet, a BPA shareholder and board member. This action is cited as potential influence peddling. ● BPA reportedly complied with all of Andorra’s banking regulations and had notified authorities about cases mentioned in FinCEN’s notice. However, the Andorran authorities raised no objections at the time. ● The complaint requests the release of communications between the Andorran government and FinCEN/US Treasury to shed light on the government’s actions during the BPA intervention.