Prosecutors Seek Five-Year Sentence

The Public Prosecutor's Office is requesting a five-year prison sentence and disqualification for a Barcelona landlord accused of forging a handwritten agreement with his tenant to force her out and sell the property in 2021. The document, which included the tenant's ID and a forged signature, was used in a judicial eviction proceeding. According to the indictment, the owner drafted the false agreement between April and October 2021, stating the tenant would leave the apartment in exchange for 17,500 euros. The woman, who had lived in the flat since 2016, was unaware of the document's existence.

The trial was scheduled for Tuesday 6 October 2026 at the Barcelona Provincial Court but has been suspended after the defence lawyer resigned and could not be replaced in time. Judicial sources confirmed to EFE that no new date has yet been set.

The accused acted as a real estate intermediary for the possible sale of the apartment to third parties and, without the tenant's knowledge, forged the supposed agreement.

The landlord is accused of being the direct perpetrator of document forgery and the indirect perpetrator of procedural fraud. Prosecutors also request a 3,000 euro fine.

False Document Used in Eviction Proceedings

The forged agreement was submitted during a verbal eviction and rent claim procedure initiated on 22 January 2021 at Barcelona’s Court of First Instance number 31. It was later included in the case file in response to the tenant’s application for precautionary rehousing measures, filed on 31 August 2021. On 27 October 2021, the court rejected the tenant’s request for rehousing. Prosecutors argue this decision was influenced by the presentation of the falsified agreement, the authenticity of which the tenant never consented to or verified.

Reported by metropoliabierta.cat, Newsroom Infobae.