Ana Duato is set to face a new trial after the Appeals Chamber of Spain’s National Court annulled her acquittal in the Nummaria tax case. The ruling, issued on 28 May 2026, orders the proceedings to be repeated before a different panel of judges. It concerns the earlier judgment and does not establish that Duato committed tax fraud; her legal status remains unresolved as the case returns to court.
The Nummaria case concerns alleged tax fraud involving public figures and the use of corporate and financial structures to reduce personal tax liabilities. Duato and producer Miguel Ángel Bernardeu were among those acquitted in the earlier proceedings. The retrial order reopens the case, but does not determine the outcome of the allegations against them.
Imanol Arias, Duato’s longtime colleague and co-star, has voiced support for her as the case resumes. Their professional relationship spans more than two decades, and the renewed proceedings have renewed attention to the personal strain prolonged litigation can place on defendants and those close to them. A different judicial panel will now reconsider the basic legal question.
The case has revived discussion of legal uncertainty for Spanish public figures facing complex tax investigations. Other high-profile disputes have drawn attention to how celebrity finances intersect with the courts, including the conviction of Toño Sanchís for misappropriating funds from Belén Esteban, covered in this previous high-profile court ruling.
The Appeals Chamber’s decision means the proceedings against Duato and Bernardeu must be heard again; it does not establish guilt. The retrial will revisit the allegations under the structure set by the appellate ruling, and the defendants’ legal position will be determined in the new proceedings.
The Nummaria case has become a prominent example of the legal and public scrutiny surrounding complex financial arrangements and tax investigations in Spain. With the acquittal annulled and a different panel assigned to hear the case, the next stage will determine how the allegations are resolved.
