MADRID — Spain’s High Court has launched a criminal investigation into Sidenor, a major privately-owned steel producer, for reportedly selling steel to an Israeli weapons manufacturer in violation of Spain’s trade ban with Israel.
Judge Francisco de Jorge is leading the probe against Sidenor’s CEO, José Antonio Jainaga Gómez, and two other senior executives. They face accusations of smuggling and complicity in crimes against humanity or genocide.
The three executives are due to testify on November 12, according to the court statement.
The High Court said Sidenor sold steel to Israel Military Industries (IMI), a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, without obtaining government authorization or registering the deal properly. It added that the executives “went ahead with the deal with full knowledge that the firm was a manufacturer of both heavy and light weapons, and that the material sold was to be used for the manufacture of weapons.”
Sidenor said it has referred the case to its legal team and will provide the judge with all available documents. The company stressed that it ended all commercial ties with Israel on July 1, following the Spanish government’s April decision to halt arms-related contracts with the country.
Elbit Systems declined to comment.
The investigation began after a complaint filed in July by the Association of the Palestinian Community in Catalonia. The group accused Sidenor of knowingly supplying materials used in Israel’s military production during its genocide in Gaza.
Spain, which recognized the State of Palestine last year, has been among Europe’s strongest critics of Israel’s actions in Gaza. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has repeatedly stated that what is happening in Gaza is genocide.
In September, Spain moved to tighten its sanctions, banning ships and aircraft carrying weapons or jet fuel to Israel from entering Spanish ports or airspace. It also reinforced its prohibition on arms and dual-use material exports to Israeli firms.
Those restrictions remain in place even after a fragile ceasefire took effect in Gaza on October 10, under a US-brokered deal.
The High Court clarified that the investigation targets the executives personally, not the company itself, noting that whistleblowers inside Sidenor helped expose the wrongdoing and prevent further illegal activity.
The case marks one of the first legal tests of Spain’s arms trade restrictions with Israel and could set a precedent for future prosecutions involving corporate complicity in war crimes. — QNN
