Never before has the Generalitat inherited a company from a testamentary inheritance (yes, other assets), that is, where there is no will that indicates the will of the deceased regarding the distribution of his assets. It was 2023, when an administrative resolution gave the Generalitat full power over the assets of Manuela Marimon, who died in 2019. Among these there was a cannelloni factory. The inheritance includes, in addition to all the shares of Federación de Foods SA (FADAIC), a mill in Huesca, a car park and the house where he lived in Ripollet (Barcelona). Now the Generalitat will put the company up for public auction for a starting price of 228,306 euros.
This is an unprecedented case in Catalonia. Marimon’s last wish was to transfer his assets to the Sant Joan de Déu pediatric hospital, but the latter refused the offer due to the type of assets involved, so it remained in the hands of the Catalan administration. Now, the Generalitat announced the sale in government agreements on Tuesday, which is unusual in cases like this. But this is the second time that the Generalitat has auctioned this company. The first tender, scheduled for last July, was declared null and void because the documentation presented by the sole bidder did not meet the established requirements and conditions. Furthermore, this first tender required the buyer to keep the jobs for one year.
According to the government, a reduction in the starting price of 22.9% compared to the previous value seems to have attracted the food sector. The Executive will announce the details in the coming weeks in the contractor profile of the General Directorate of Heritage, and will also be announced in the Official Journal of the Generalitat of Catalonia (DOGC).
The Government has a legal obligation to deal with this type of inheritance of people with “Catalan civil neighbourhood” who died without having made a will or who have no known heirs or relatives up to the fourth degree of consanguinity. Once these inheritances have been settled, the resulting amount must be distributed and used for the purposes determined by the Catalan legislation on civil successions. The competent body for this purpose is the Heritage Council, a collegial body that includes various departments of the Generalitat and representatives of the local authorities of Catalonia.
The Government has already announced that the amount raised from the sale of the cannelloni company and the rest of Mrs Marimon’s assets will be used for social, housing, welfare and cultural purposes.
