The morning at La Bola bar on La Cartuja Island (Isla de la Cartuja) in Seville started as usual: students, employees from nearby companies, and passersby hurried in for coffee and fresh toast. But this Thursday, the usual hustle was replaced by tense silence — not only regulars showed up, but also journalists, camera crews, and even law enforcement officers. The reason was the arrest of the establishment’s owner, former SEPI (Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales) president Vicente Fernández, as well as searches conducted by the UCO (Unidad Central Operativa) of the Civil Guard.
La Bola, located just a few steps from administrative buildings and state company offices, has long been a meeting spot for local officials and workers. The bar sold lottery tickets, and at the next table you could overhear conversations about politics, soccer, and the latest news. However, on this day, the mood was very different: staff avoided answering questions, and patrons watched the events unfold with keen interest.
Searches and Arrests
The focus was not only on the bar itself, but also its owner. Vicente Fernández, who has been the sole administrator of the company La Bola Innovación SL, managing the establishment since 2023, was detained together with other key figures in the high-profile case — a former government advisor and an entrepreneur from Servinabar. The UCO operation was carried out not just in Seville, but also in Madrid and Zaragoza, further fueling public intrigue.
The staff at La Bola, who are used to bustling breakfasts and lunches, were clearly out of their element this time. One of the bartenders, noticing the increased attention, curtly said, “Let’s not talk about it.” However, it was impossible to hide what was happening — journalists crowded the street, and inside, people discussed not only the menu but also the details of the investigation.
Connections and suspicions
Interestingly, all the key institutions where Fernández built his career — Veiasa, Sandetel, the IDEA agency — are just minutes’ walk from La Bola. Previously, according to sources close to the situation, his wife managed the establishment, but in 2023 the registry showed a change of administrator. This coincided with a sharp increase in the bar’s turnover, which caught investigators’ attention.
Investigators suspect that the sudden rise in La Bola’s revenue may be linked to contracts signed with public entities. The next step is to determine whether the café was used to launder money obtained from questionable deals. At the center of the investigation are the financial flows, not just the owner’s identity.
Life on Cartuja
On a typical day, La Bola is a place where communications students, engineers, and Sevilla TechPark employees cross paths. Here, people discuss football matches, debate local teams’ chances, and share weekend plans. But this Thursday, the conversations were much different: some recalled the days of Expo 92, others spoke about how Cartuja has changed in recent years.
Neighboring businesses, such as Ayesa, didn’t notice anything unusual on the day of the raids—no police vans, no boxes of documents being taken away. For most employees, La Bola was simply the spot for coffee and a quick bite. Now, however, the most familiar details—the terrace, the tables, the menu of classic Andalusian tapas—have become part of a major story of investigations and high-profile arrests.
The lottery and new realities
The lottery tickets sold at La Bola also drew special attention. Number 36,734, issued by the famed Dos Hermanas administration, became a symbol of hope for many loyal customers. Now, though, talk of winning has given way to discussions about the owner’s legal prospects and the future of the bar itself.
By noon, the bar had emptied: employees were preparing for lunch, and one worker, eager to avoid the cameras, took down a slip of paper with a license plate number and left quickly. Vicente Fernández, now at the center of the scandal, has become a headache for his former colleagues and management, while La Bola stands as a symbol of how quickly life can change for even the most unassuming café in Seville.
