“I have not committed any illegality nor have I had money abroad,” he assures.
VALENCIA, 23 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The former president of the Generalitat Valenciana and former minister with the PP Eduardo Zaplana has taken advantage of the last word in Erial to defend what he has maintained since he was arrested: “I have not committed any illegality nor have I had money abroad.” Likewise, he has assured that it has been an “honor” for him to dedicate himself to political life “although his exercise has brought me here,” he added.
Zaplana faces a sentence of 17 years in prison, as requested by the prosecutor’s office, for the crimes of criminal organization, money laundering, bribery, falsification of commercial documents and administrative prevarication. Along with the prison sentence, he requests a fine of 40 million euros and two more that total 72,000 and 36,000 euros.
“Throughout the procedure, which has lasted more than eight years, they have wanted to convey an image to me, an idea of ??a criminal group that uses and abuses their personal relationships,” he lamented in the trial against him. and another 11 people in 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 in the Valencian Community has been investigated.
This week it was the prosecutor who opened the reports and reduced the sentence requested for Zaplana by two years, which went from 19 to 17 years by eliminating the crime of falsification of an official document, and withdrew the accusation against three people: former deputy Elvira Suances , the hairdresser Pedro Romero and the businessman Ángel Salas. He also left the sentence for the former president of the Generalitat and Bancaja, José Luis Olivas, in two years, similar to that of four congressmen who recognized the facts.
In his last word, Zaplana, with papers in his hand, defined himself as a “good friend” of his friends and added: “When I have been able to do them a favor I have done so without any type of compensation,” he pointed out.
He regretted that during these days the image has hovered over the room that he is a person who is dedicated to hiding his activity or even part of his life “in an almost paranoid way in the face of I don’t know what fear or threats he might have had in the past.” that never worried me but, given what I’ve seen, they probably had to worry me,” he said.
“All the assets,” he added, “are those analyzed in the expert report that my lawyer provided while I was in prison and when the summary was under secrecy. There is no more.”
Zaplana has stated that “after the searches at his home, in his offices, after telephone interventions, recordings in public places and nine months in prison, I say the same thing that I said in March 2019 when I left the penitentiary center: I have never committed any illegality in my responsibility at the head of the Generalitat Valenciana and I have never had money abroad. I stated it then and I reiterate it.
“These days,” he added, “listening to the tests carried out and the stories, it has been impossible not to remember the times dedicated to public and political life that almost coincide in time with the period in which I have been investigated in the case with all kinds of material, even the most private ones like my diaries.
And he added along these lines: “From all this long stage, the pleasant memories outweigh the unpleasant ones. I always decided to face them with responsibility and with the greatest possible dignity. Today, in this very difficult stage for me, I continue to express my great satisfaction and pride. for the years of dedication to public life and to the Presidency of the Generalitat. It has been an honor to dedicate myself to political life, a worthy activity if there is one, although its exercise has brought me here, politics is not to blame. “.
For his part, García has also used the last word to answer Zaplana’s lawyer when he “distorted” the agreements with the Prosecutor’s Office: “Everything I declared in the two sessions is absolutely true. They are not interpretations or assertions about aspects that there are no known or participated directly”. “Unfortunately – he added – I participated in a series of events that I have acknowledged. I want to be clear of my conscience and that no one can say that I have lied or that I have been immoral.”
And he added that the last time he spoke with Zaplana, at his home in the presence of another accused, he explained to him that he had initiated an agreement process in accordance with the Prosecutor’s Office and that as his friend he suggested doing the same, but he did not want to. “I added that I should think about him, his family and other people like Mitsouko or Saturnino, but nothing,” he added.
The case has been heard for sentencing after seven years of investigation and almost two months of trial – with a total of 20 sessions – since it began on March 21 after two suspensions.
