A former director of the Anfi del Mar group, Santiago Santana Cazorla, has been sentenced to one year in prison by the Las Palmas Provincial Court for embezzlement. He was accused of illegally transferring a company-owned yacht to Morocco and using it for personal purposes as if it were his own property. The events date back to November 2016, a few months after Santana Cazorla resigned as CEO of the group. The former executive appropriated a Rodman 1250 yacht, legally acquired by the company in 2012 for business activities. However, according to the ruling, he was already using the boat exclusively for personal purposes, including fishing. Acting «with the intention of obtaining an unjustified financial advantage», Santana Cazorla transferred the boat to Morocco after his departure, registering it under the name of his own company, Santiago Náutica SL. The court also noted that he had used a revoked power of attorney to effect this transfer, causing economic damage to Anfi del Mar. During the trial, the defendant's defense attempted to justify the private ownership of the boat by presenting a previous sale contract. This argument was rejected by the court in the absence of proof of payment or documents attesting to this transaction. Official records show that the yacht still belonged to Anfi del Mar SL, as confirmed by several witnesses. In addition to the prison sentence, Santana Cazorla will have to pay compensation of 42,000 euros, corresponding to the residual value of the yacht at the time of the incident, plus statutory interest. He is also deprived of his civil rights for the duration of the sentence and will have to reimburse legal costs.
