The founders of recently-created Spanish export group Gruventa may take legal action against their former employer, Hortiberia Group, after the latter company accused Gruventa’s directors of breaching “professional ethics” before their departure.
Murcia-based Gruventa was officially launched as a going concern on 2 August by former Hortiberia managing director Fermín Sánchez alongside fellow former directors Isaac Murcia and Teodoro Hernández – Hortiberia’s ex- head of sales and transport respectively.
The possible action follows the release of a strongly worded statement last week from Hortiberia which accused Sánchez and Murcia of having operated Gruventa “during several years” as a “parallel” business to Hortiberia.
Cartagena-based Hortiberia went on to accuse the two former directors of having “betrayed the confidence” that it had placed in them and of having displayed a “lack of professional ethics”.
The statement continued: “It is obvious that they did not carry out this matter alone, that it was carried out in collusion with a supplier whose support and silence fueled this situation.
“They did no favours to the sector that supported them due to a lack of awareness of these matters and their ‘confidence’ in these persons.
“Now, those that “concealed” this indecency with their goods and services are out in the open.
“The members of Hortiberia would like to thank the honesty and integrity of all those who did not participate in this outrage.”
In response to the statement, a spokesman for Gruventa today (31 August) told Fruitnet that although the company would not be making any formal comment to the media, the matter was “now in the hands of its lawyers”.
