MADRID, 26 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Manos Cleans union has provided the judge who has opened investigation proceedings against Begoña Gómez, wife of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, for the alleged crimes of influence peddling and corruption in business, a report in relation to four contracts for an amount of 10.2 million euros awarded by the public entity ‘Red.es’ to the company of businessman Carlos Barrabés, Innova Next SL.
This is what this union communicates in a brief press release, collected by Europa Press, in which it clarifies that this report was provided on April 17 and that this investigative work “could reveal alleged illegalities.”
On the first page of this report, prepared by a union investigation department and to which this news agency has had access, these awards are mentioned and it is clarified that one of the news items provided in the initial complaint of April 9 in The reference to a subsidy in the name of Begoña Gómez was rectified by the media that published it, which is why it is requested that it “not be taken into account.”
It is worth remembering that legal sources confirmed to Europa Press that the opening of proceedings in the Court of Instruction number 41 of Madrid, headed by Judge Juan Carlos Peinado, occurred on April 16 following a complaint filed by this union. , and that their secrecy has been decreed. According to El Confidencial, among the first procedures ordered by the judge is the summoning of several witnesses.
The complaint of Manos Cleans was registered by its president Miguel Bernad and in it he maintained that Begoña Gómez, “taking advantage of her personal status, wife of the President of the Government of Spain, has been recommending or endorsing by letter of recommendation with her signature to businessmen who were submitted to public tenders”.
He recalled that one of the businessmen “benefited by these recommendations or endorsements” from Gómez is Carlos Barrabés, and that public tenders worth 10 million euros were awarded to him. “This businessman also set up the Master of Competitive Social Transformation of the accused,” he maintained, and added that Begoña Gómez’s chair also signed that businessman as an associate professor.
On the other hand, he pointed out that Víctor de Aldama, who is investigated by the National Court as the alleged perpetrator of the ‘Koldo case’, was Begoña Gómez’s contact in Globalia and earned 6.67 million before “the ransom” was negotiated (. ..) of the company”.
To this he added that Air Europa “agreed to pay 40,000 euros per year to the Africa Center of the accused” and that the agreement between Globalia and the Instituto de Empresa included the delivery of 15,000 euros per year in first class flights for Begoña Gómez and her team. .
Furthermore, Clean Hands maintained that the letters of recommendation and endorsements from the accused “triggered the awards to businessmen with whom she had a friendly relationship.”
After these assertions, the union indicated that it supported the complaint in what was published by several digital and print newspapers as well as what was known from television talk shows, and explained that the facts “have alleged characteristics of the crime of influence peddling.”
In its complaint, the union requested that both Begoña Gómez and those responsible for the media outlets that published news on the matter be summoned to testify. It also requested that the letters of recommendation and the files of the contracts awarded to Carlos Barrabés be provided.
This Thursday, the union itself issued another press release in which Bernad stressed that his complaint against Begoña Gómez was based on information from the media and that if the news were not true, “those who published it” should be the ones to take responsibility. “falsehood.”
Now, in this new statement, Bernad has highlighted that he “believes in the integrity of the journalists” who report in Spain and has regretted that various media “attack the messenger”, which causes him “deep pain.”
In line, he stressed that his union has not limited itself to presenting ‘notitia criminis’ – newspaper clippings – and “in fact has provided a report” relating to the contracts awarded to Barrabés’ company.
It is worth remembering that the Madrid Provincial Prosecutor’s Office requested this Thursday that the case be archived through a direct appeal in which it requests that the order of April 16 by which the judge adopted his decision be revoked.
