The only person accused of the crime gives his testimony for the first time in this four-part series produced by EL PAÍS Audio.
In 2016, María del Carmen Martínez, the widow of the former president of the now-defunct Caja de Ahorros del Mediterráneo (CAM), Vicente Sala, was shot twice as she went to collect her car from her family’s car dealership. Seven years later, the only person accused of his death, his son-in-law Miguel López, remains in a legal limbo that neither exonerates nor convicts him. This Tuesday, EL PAÍS Audio launches the podcast El Enemigo. El crimen de la viuda de la CAM, a series of 4 episodes that reconstructs the case and in which López gives his testimony for the first time, after refusing to testify at the trial.
The Sala family, who live in Alicante, were well known among their neighbours, despite their discretion. The family name hides one of the richest families in Spain, thanks to a conglomerate of companies that also operates in Latin America. When Martínez was shot in her car in 2016, and not only was the vehicle not stolen, but her handbag with her wallet was found inside, rumours began to grow that the murder was linked to family feuds to take over the estate.
In February 2017, López, one of her sons-in-law, was arrested. He was released on bail of 150,000 euros. Two years later, a popular jury acquitted him, but the prosecution, led by the victim’s son, appealed. The case then went to the Supreme Court, which ordered a retrial, but López filed an amparo with the Constitutional Court, which recently paralysed the case. After years of legal proceedings, the defendant has still not received a verdict.
El Enemigo reconstructs, with the help of EL PAÍS journalist Braulio García Jaén, who has followed the case from the beginning, and Bárbara Ayuso of EL PAÍS AUDIO, the clues that led to López being fingered, but also those that were discarded. It includes the statements of the family circle and weaves together the personal and professional relationships between those involved. It also offers, for the first time, López’s version of events.
Lawyers, family advisors, powers that be and other interesting characters will help to put together this still unsolved case. The first chapter is published this Tuesday and a new episode will be published every week. In addition to EL PAÍS, it can also be listened to on streaming platforms.
