VALENCIA, Apr. 10 (EUROPE PRESS)
Joaquín Miguel Barceló, childhood friend of the former president of the Generalitat Valenciana and former minister of the PP Eduardo Zaplana, has confessed in the trial that is being followed in the Valencia Court for the Erial case that he was the front man of the ‘expresident’: “He asked me to take care of his money because he was in politics and I did it. He asked me as a favor and at first I saw it as legitimate,” he said, adding that he felt “used.”
Barceló spoke in these terms during his statement in the third session of the trial for the Erial case, a procedure in which the alleged collection of more than 10 million euros in commissions derived from ITV concessions and wind farms of the Valencian Community. In total there are 15 defendants, including Zaplana, and the fraud is quantified at more than 20 million euros.
Barceló, nicknamed ‘Pachano’, has stated that he has known Zaplana for about 50 years: “We met from a very young age, from the same circles of going out, being very close friends. We have remained close friends,” he said, later recognize that for several years he was his front man. “Was he Zaplana’s front man?” the prosecutor asked him directly, to which the accused responded: “Yes. He asked me for favors, I did them. If that is called a front man, I was one.”
He has acknowledged that he signed “many” papers that he did not read and that he appeared in different companies because they asked him to. Asked if the money from these companies was from Zaplana, he responded: “They told me that it was from Zaplana and the family, that he did not pay taxes but that everything was normal,” he stated. “They had me to sign all the documents they put in front of me,” he added.
In this regard, he explained that it was another of the accused, Francisco Grau, whom he met through Zaplana, who brought him the papers and asked him to sign them. “I have always trusted him and I have always signed what he has put in front of me. I have never read anything,” he added.
His actions began, as he has said, in Luxembourg, where he went to take over a company at the request of Zaplana that belonged to the Cotino brothers – the prosecutor estimates that this account contained money from the ‘bribes’ for public contracts. -. “I was only there one day and I went to take charge of a company from Eduardo Zaplana. He told me that he had found money that he did not expect and that I could take charge of the amount because he was in politics and he was afraid to the media issue. He told me that it was a transparent and legal operation and I accepted out of friendship,” he said.
Thus, he has repeated that he went to Luxembourg “on a private plane with Messrs. Cotino, Juan Francisco García – Zaplana’s former Chief of Staff – and another man who I do not know who he was” because the former minister told him so. “I just had to sign a paper that has not appeared anywhere. The money was not mine,” he insisted.
Later he found out that there were six million in that account and not two, as they had told him. “I only signed what they gave me and that was that. I did not give orders nor did I have Mr. Zaplana’s money,” he repeated throughout the interrogation. “I have never made any decision about the funds that were in Luxembourg banks, at all. I have not signed any account in Luxembourg and I have not been able to make any financial decisions,” he explained.
At a certain point, the accused explained that Fernando Belhot – a key witness for the Prosecutor’s Office in this procedure – appeared and was presented to him by Zaplana to replace him in the administration of his assets along with another person. “When Belhot arrives, he takes charge of everything. What he does with the money, I’m amazed. I don’t know anything,” he said.
Questioned by two companies from Urugay, the accused has stated that he met them through Zaplana and has said that Belhot gave him powers for those companies in Spain. “The powers were given to me by Zaplana the first time. He told me ‘take this that Fernando has given me for you’. I accept it and that’s it. I never used the papers or the powers,” he stated.
Regarding Andorra, he explained that he only had one company of his own – despite appearing in several – and that he opened an account there and told Grau “as a friend.” More than five million euros were deposited there. “Grau gave them to me because it was money from Zaplana and I had to take it to Andorra and give it to an intermediary person who was in charge of the business in Andorra,” he stated. “That money,” he added, “was different from my personal money and I told Grau to open a different account. But no,” he said.
At a certain point he had a problem with the 90,000 euros he had in Andorra and he went there. They told him that they could not give him the amount because his account was contaminated by other accounts and they were not clear. “From there the whole mess came,” he said. That was when, after Grau helped him, Zaplana recommended Saturnino Suances – another of the accused – to “take care of the problem.”
The accused has also been asked about another company in which he appeared, Medlevante, which received 2.8 million from Luxembourg. “I have done what I have always been told. I signed a capital increase by order of Francisco Grau. That company channeled Eduardo Zaplana’s money,” he said.
HOUSES AND BOATS
Part of the interrogation has focused on the homes and boats acquired by different companies in which ‘Pachano’ appeared as the owner. It involves the purchase of a boat, two penthouses in Altea or the purchase of land in La Finca. “Everything was for Zaplana,” he stated.
Regarding the penthouses, he has said that Zaplana wanted them and the signing was delayed. “The sellers told us to go and sign because there were a lot of maintenance expenses. It was paid and when we went to write it they were seized and I think they were lost,” he said.
In relation to the boat purchased by several people, including him and Zaplana, he has stated that his part comes from Medlevante. “Grau told me my percentage. He used her as a guest when Eduardo invited me. Once he left her for me to go to Formentera,” he said.
Regarding La Finca, he has indicated that it was for Zaplana and his family but he asked him to buy it with a company of his: “I saw that it was legal and I bought it. He could have bought it perfectly but I don’t know why he didn’t. The price was he negotiated. I did Eduardo the favor as a friend, or as a front man, as you say,” he told the prosecutor.
La Finca was later sold and about two million euros were earned. With this money the apartment in Núñez de Balboa in Madrid was bought and the renovation was carried out. The acquisition was decided by Zaplana and “he asked me to intervene because I was his friend and he preferred it to be in my name out of trust in me,” he said. 100,000 euros in cash were paid in the operation and, when asked about this, the accused said that Zaplana would give it.
20,000 EURO WATCH
The accused has explained that he also allocated 20,000 euros of the proceeds from the sale of La Finca to a watch for Zaplana. He wrote a check for the amount, because they asked him to, and they told him it was for that watch. “I wrote the check, it was paid and that’s it,” he said.
That watch, he added, ended up in the hands of Ignacio González, former president of the Community of Madrid: “The watch was taken from González in the Lezo operation and I said that I had given it to Zaplana, not him,” he said. .
The accused has summarized: “Zaplana has used me for all this and I have done it to him and that’s it. I have always done it thinking that things were legal. He was my friend, he asked me and I did it. He was very daring, but yes “, he concluded when asked by the prosecutor. He did not want to respond to any further details and his lawyer did not ask him any questions.
