The president of Spain's Sacyr-Vallehermoso, Luis Fernando de Rivero, and a large number of Eiffage's shareholders walked out of the company's annual general meeting after a decision to cancel the voting rights of 89 small Spanish shareholders of the group. The directors of Eiffage, owner of a 5% stake though Eiffaime, had accused certain Spanish shareholders of acting in concert with Sacyr and demanded the cancellation of their voting rights.

The president of Spain's Sacyr-Vallehermoso, Luis Fernando de Rivero, and a large number of Eiffage's shareholders walked out of the company's annual general meeting after a decision to cancel the voting rights of 89 small Spanish shareholders of the group. The directors of Eiffage, owner of a 5% stake though Eiffaime, had accused certain Spanish shareholders of acting in concert with Sacyr and demanded the cancellation of their voting rights.

Eiffame pointed at Grupo Rayet, Inversiones Portival and other small Spanish investors as those shareholders acting in tandem with Sacyr Vallehermoso to take control of the group. Sacyr has a 33.2% stake in the French public works and transport concessions group and was seeking shareholder support for obtaining five seats on the supervisory board. De Rivero said before leaving that he would take the matter to court. Sacyr was not stripped of its voting rights and added that it will exercise them. 'I will stay to exercise Sacyr's voting rights,' Sacyr's Maitre Perchet told Agence France Presse at the meeting.

Sacyr said in a press release issued after the meeting that the decision to cancel the voting rights of 89 Spanish shareholders 'just because of their nationality' is illegal and that 'it will undertake any necessary procedures to protest against the validity of Eiifage's meeting.'