Judicial control of arbitral awards has been identified by some scholars as one of the rea¬sons why arbitration is not frequently used in Spain as a real alternative dispute resolution to ordinary jurisdiction. This article aims to analyze, on the one hand, the limits of the power of civil courts to annul awards and, on the other hand, how should the arbitrators proceed when a party files a criminal prelimi¬nary motion in an arbitral process, as this decisión may involve the annulment of the arbitral award for violating public order provisions.