Thursday’s autopsy confirmed that the disgraced President of the Caja Madrid Bank, Miguel Blesa, who was found shot dead with a single gunshot wound to the chest in the chest, took his own life. The coroner confirmed that the wounds were compatible with suicide.
Blesa was responsible for a corruption scandal that stunned the whole of Spain when he was found guilty over his use of secret “black credit cards.” The cards were handed out to bank board members and advisers, who then went on to use them to buy luxury goods and entertainment. Although he was given a six-year jail sentence but died before his appeal could be heard.
It is understood that the former banker was relaxing on the Puerto del Toro estate at Villanueva del Rey, close to Cordoba, with a friend. Having eaten breakfast he excused himself to move his car but on leaving the room his last words were “Do you have my wife’s phone, in case you need to call her?”
Moments later the friend heard a gunshot following which he called the emergency services. Blesa’s death was confirmed at 8.40 hours.
The autopsy, which was carried out at the Institute of Legal Medicine in Córdoba confirmed that he took his own life by supporting the butt of the gun on the floor and placing his chest on the barrel. He then pulled the trigger.
There was a single shot which caused the body to hit the bonnet before sliding down to fall on the ground next to one of the wheels.
Blesa was the Chairman of Caja Madrid for over over 13 years. At his trial he was found guilty of misappropriating €436,700 of public funds used to purchase jewellery, holidays and even hunting trips resulting in one infamous photograph of him published in the Spanish media alongside a dead hippopotamus.
But as well as fighting the appeal Bela was also facing trial for paying out almost 15 million euro in irregular bonuses. He was also named in the leaked ‘Panama Papers case’ suggesting that he had substantial undeclared funds offshore and in 2103 he had spent 6 months in jail after his bank’s 2008 acquisition of the City National Bank of Florida.
