He would have pocketed 9.6 million euros and would be “ultimately responsible” for the decisions of Management Solutions
The judge of the National Court investigating the ‘Koldo case’, focused on the alleged collection of illegal commissions for the sale of medical supplies during the pandemic, has cited businessman Juan Carlos Cueto, the alleged ‘brain’ behind, as being investigated this Wednesday. of the company to which the contracts were awarded.
Legal sources have confirmed to Europa Press that the head of the Central Court of Instruction Number 2, Ismael Moreno, has called Cueto, who would be behind Management Solutions, to testify starting at 9:30 a.m. According to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, Cueto would have pocketed 9.6 million euros for the contracts awarded.
The Public Ministry places Cueto as the “person who really controls the Soluciones de Gestión company, integrated into the Cueto group”, although it appears to be owned by another of those investigated: the Basque businessman Íñigo Rotaeche.
In this sense, Anticorruption details in its complaint “the leadership that Cueto” exercises over the group that bears his last name, “being ultimately responsible for the decisions concerning this business group.” The main investigators, they add, gave news and asked Cueto for permission “for the execution of loans and decision-making.”
Anticorruption assures that Soluciones de Gestión “would have been used as an instrumental company in a common project” between the president of Zamora CF, Víctor de Aldama, and Cueto himself, “who, despite not appearing in documents, would have been responsible” for the crimes. contracts about which the judge is investigating.
The Prosecutor’s Office makes it clear that there was “a direct and close relationship” between the former advisor and former bodyguard of former Minister José Luis Ábalos, Koldo García, and Cueto himself, “which is not limited solely to the awarding of contracts.”
The Public Ministry assures that Koldo was the person they used to “expedite” procedures with the Ministry of Transportation in the contracting during the pandemic for the sale of masks, specifically facilitating the processes of awarding medical supplies to the company Soluciones de Management.
The aforementioned complaint from the Prosecutor’s Office contains conversations extracted from the telephone taps that the investigators carried out. “This was a favor that your neighbor (Koldo) was asking… him and his former boss… and it seems that the other one has said yes… because they have given him another favor in return,” he said. Cueto told Rotaeche, who was a person he “trusted.” The Prosecutor’s Office does not clarify which former Koldo boss it is referring to.
THE DELIVERY OF “CHORIZOS”
Although shortly before his arrest the relationship between Koldo and Aldama was still latent through third parties, the Public Ministry assures that both did maintain a relationship “during the awarding of the investigated contracts.” That same month of September, Koldo went to Cueto to talk about Aldama: “He solved the problems I had to be able to execute and bring what I needed from outside.”
For Anticorruption, it can be deduced that “Koldo could be alluding to Aldama’s intermediation in the acquisition of masks within the framework of the investigated awards.” “And the most significant thing is that he does so speaking in the first person,” points out the Prosecutor’s Office, pointing out that in many talks those investigated refer to the president of Zamora as a “commission agent” in front of the Public Administration.
In this sense, the Prosecutor’s Office makes it clear that Cueto and Aldama still had “common issues, some of them relevant” in the context of the case a month before the outbreak of the operation. Specifically, on January 26, Aldama “would have given Cueto some object” that Aldama himself referred to as “chorizos.”
For Anticorrupción, it is striking that a few days later Cueto told Koldo that he was with Aldama, “who would have given him something that they would talk about in person.” In addition, Cueto informed him – in relation to Aldama – that “the waters can return to their channel.” According to the Prosecutor’s Office, this would imply that the three investigated “continue to have common issues to discuss.”
The order also records the conversation that Cueto had with an Aldama worker in relation to a summons that the latter had to appear before the Tax Agency. In the same talk, Cueto warns that people who were going to testify in response to this type of subpoenas should do so with legal assistance.
“FEAR” THAT SOMEONE “STARTS TO RIP AND SLICT”
“As soon as someone goes there and starts going and cutting, they have a problem,” Cueto snapped. “This fear,” according to the Prosecutor’s Office, “could be linked to Aldama being considered a commission agent in the eyes of the Tax Agency.”
In this regard, Rotaeche explained to Cueto that the Tax Agency inspector wanted to summon the partners and administrators of Soluciones de Gestiones to appear before him.
“During the call, they allude to the actuary’s alleged intentions with this inspection, stating that the actuary would not admit the payment to Aldama as an expense to Soluciones de Gestión because they would have paid a hidden commission to Aldama for his contacts in the Ministry. “explains Anticorruption.
CHARGED IN THE ‘DEFEX CASE’
It should be noted that Cueto has other matters in the National Court. In 2019, Judge José de la Mata agreed to send him to trial for the alleged diversion and appropriation of funds in contracts for the supply of police material to Angola.
The magistrate agreed to place him in the dock along with 23 other people, two companies and the public company Defex, focusing on contracts signed in 2008 between the Cueto-Defex Temporary Business Union (UTE) and the general command of the National Police. of Angola for the supply of police equipment and material.
