Singer Alejandro Sanz has been ordered to appear before court eight months after being sentenced to pay a ¤3 million debt of 3 million euros stemming from the purchase of luxury properties in Miami.
After several weeks in absentia after one of his companies was declared "in default" for failing to respond, the artist submitted a document to the 47th Court of First Instance in Madrid, Spain, that EL MUNDO has had exclusive access to, in which he opposes compliance with the firm judgment against him by the US Justice system for defaulting on Miami properties. A judgment that was validated by Spain.
Sanz disputes the Spanish court's criteria, asserting that the ruling handed down in the United States is not yet final. His legal team accuses the judge of "manifestly omitting" this fact and even attempts to personally dissociate him from the real estate dealings.
For this reason, and in a bold move, Sanz has declared his refusal to pay the demanded amount. Instead, he will challenge the court, demanding a reversal of the immediate payment obligation and the creation of a new resolution.
However, the musician does not give a single explanation as to why he has avoided being notified of the conviction against him over the past few months. hat he became officially aware of it at the end of last October, despite authorities attempting unsuccessfully to reach him since March.
This marks the end of Sanz's evasion tactics since the Spanish court deemed the US sentence final, requiring him to settle the million-dollar debt that he has owed for the last few years. Yet, he endeavors to delay for the umpteenth time a process that has been dragging on for more than four years.
In the meantime, Alejandro Sanz has just issued a statement through his lawyers in which he presents himself victorious after the judge noted a procedural flaw, partially annulling some of the proceedings. However, this doesn't negate the obligation to comply with the US sentence; rather, it necessitates rectifying a procedural error. The core issue lies in the fact that the artist was not given the opportunity to oppose the court's decision to accept the US ruling. Once this technical issue is resolved, Sanz will have to pay the real estate debt.
Spanish authorities had tried in vain to serve him notice at his property in Cáceres and other addresses where his business emporium is registered, notably in Madrid. Despite attempts by an American investment fund, including plans to notify him at the recent Latin Grammy Awards in Seville, Sanz has managed to evade formal notice.
Sanz vehemently denies that, as some media outlets reported, the tax authorities visited him at his hotel to notify him of his debts, and has not hesitated to call those who reported it "assholes". "No one has come looking for me from anywhere [...] Respect yourselves, inform yourselves and then, if you have time, live", he added. But the singer has yet to give a public explanation on the substance of an issue that threatens the confiscation of his assets.
His sudden appearance in court follows reports of one of his companies, Alkazul, S.L., being declared in default, prompting asset seizure. Sanz denies this circumstance, partially stating the truth that he personally wasn't declared in default, omitting the situation regarding a significant entity linked to his assets.
This legal saga originates from Sanz's purchase of two Miami properties, financed through loans. Defaulting on these loans led to legal action by the American investment fund SHEDDF2.
Just as in Spain, Sanz's disregard for the US legal process led to his companies being declared in default. The US court's ruling in September 2020 tallied the debt on Sanz's properties at ¤11.95 million, resulting in their auction. Post-sale, Sanz was ordered to cover the remaining ¤3 million.
The US fund urged Spanish courts to execute this ruling, aiming for the confiscation of Sanz's trademarks and assets. However, the final decision rests with Judge María del Rocío Montes: act against the singer's assets or admit procedural flaws, as Sanz fervently hopes.
Read the original article in Spanish here.