The Provincial Court of the Balearic Islands has confirmed the acquittal of a businessman accused of a crime of coercion in the context of a marital and business conflict related to a divorce process with residence in Ibiza, considering that the elements required by the Penal Code to appreciate this crime are not present, according to the sentence consulted by La Voz de Ibiza.justicia.
According to the proven facts, the complainant – wife of the accused and mother of five children – filed a complaint after returning to Ibiza from a trip abroad, finding difficulties in accessing the family home, the blocking of credit cards, the loss of access to an e-mail account used in the business environment and the interruption of the domestic service that until then had been working for her.
The complainant interpreted these decisions as a form of pressure in the context of the negotiation on the distribution of property and joint ventures, which is why she went to court charging the defendant with coercion.
Significant accredited financial contributions
The judgment states that, regardless of the legal dispute, the defendant had advanced the complainant an amount of five million euros, in addition to assuming the payment of family expenses, including the children’s education, private health care, housing maintenance, food, travel and service personnel.
It is also recorded that the complainant received periodic transfers of 10,000 euros per week and another 10,000 euros per month for the children’s expenses, with the case showing accumulated income reaching 280,000 euros in a specific period.
Court rules out the existence of coercion
The Provincial Court recalls that the crime of coercion requires acts of physical, psychological or physical violence aimed at preventing or forcing conduct, and concludes that no violent behavior on the part of the defendant that meets these requirements has been accredited.
In this sense, the judges consider that the decisions adopted by the defendant are part of a civil and patrimonial conflict, without establishing a direct relationship between these measures and a criminally relevant intention to coerce the complainant.
Final acquittal after rejection of appeal
The Criminal Court of Ibiza initially issued a judgment of acquittal, which was appealed by the complainant. However, the Provincial Court has dismissed the appeal in its entirety, confirming the acquittal and terminating the criminal proceedings.
The resolution, issued on October 16, 2025, is final in ordinary proceedings and is part of a broader civil and commercial litigation still pending resolution in other jurisdictional areas.
