MADRID (AFP) - Emilio Botin, chairman of Spain's largest bank Banco Santander Central Hispano (SCH), is to face trial on allegations of misappropriating funds.
Judicial sources said the private prosecution case would go ahead at a date to be determined after High Court judge Teresa Palacios had rejected prosecution service advice to shelve the case.
SCH has been in the headlines in recent months because it is trying to buy British bank Abbey National for 8.9 billion pounds (13.0 billion euros, 16.0 billion dollars) in what would be the largest ever link-up in European retail banking.