Juan Carlos Peinado, a judge, has suspended the statements of several officials from Red.es who were scheduled to testify as witnesses this Sunday after the European Prosecutor’s Office announced that they were taking over the investigation involving a UTE in which a company owned by businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés, financed with European funds, participated. Judge Peinado has also maintained the summons for the wife of the president of the Government, who is expected to testify on July 5. Legal sources indicate that the judge has cancelled the summonses for the CEO of Red.es, David Cierco; former Red.es director general Alberto Martínez Lacambra; economist and lawyer from Innova Next SL, Luis Antonio Martín Bernardos; Red.es legal advisory director Ignacio Espejo Saavedra Hernández; and Red.es Director of Economy, Luis Prieto Cuerdo, a public entity attached to the Ministry for Digital Transformation.
The decision by the European Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) to issue a decree to take over part of the case came one week after the Central Operating Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard went to the headquarters of the public company Red.es to gather information on contracts awarded to Barrabés, which are related to the investigation. On April 26, this European body showed interest in the case and asked Judge Peinado, who admitted the complaint against Begoña Gómez, the president’s wife, if the case involved contracts funded by the European Union. In the decree, EPPO asked the judge to inform them about the specific facts being investigated and whether the UTE Innova Next SLU-Business School The Valley, which includes a company owned by Barrabés, could be involved in the proceedings, as claimed by Manos Limpias.
Prosecutors Laura Pellón, Luis Miguel Jiménez, and Antonio Zárate mentioned in the decree that the European Prosecutor’s Office might need to exercise its jurisdiction to investigate the mentioned contracts if deemed necessary, so they requested the court to provide the relevant documentation. In a ruling, the judge of Madrid stated that the investigation included the awarding process of various contracts by Red.es to the UTE composed of entities Innova Next (a company from the Barrabés Group), SLU Business School, and The Valley. In another ruling issued on Tuesday, Judge Peinado asked to identify the person who signed the judicial summons for Begoña Gómez, marked with the initials P.D. and an illegible signature, and summoned the chief of security at La Moncloa for June 19.
The investigations and legal proceedings revolve around contracts awarded by Red.es, a public entity, to a UTE involving a company linked to Juan Carlos Barrabés, a well-known businessman. The involvement of European funds in these contracts has brought the attention of the European Prosecutor’s Office, leading to the takeover of part of the case. The summons for key officials from Red.es to testify has been postponed due to these developments. The wife of the president of the Government is still scheduled to testify in the ongoing investigation. Details regarding the specific contracts, the entities involved, and the potential implications of the case on individuals and organizations are under scrutiny.
The role of various individuals, including officers from Red.es and businessmen like Juan Carlos Barrabés, in the awarding of contracts funded by the European Union is being closely examined. The actions of these parties in handling contracts and the potential influence of public officials like Begoña Gómez are being investigated by the authorities. The complex nature of the case, which involves multiple entities and contractual relationships, has prompted the EPPO to step in and take over part of the investigation to ensure a thorough examination of all the relevant details. The legal process is ongoing, with new information and developments arising as the investigation progresses.
The legal proceedings involve the gathering of information, testimonies from witnesses, and the analysis of documentation related to the contracts in question. The efforts by the European Prosecutor’s Office to assess the situation and exercise its jurisdiction in the case indicate the seriousness of the allegations and the potential implications of the investigation. As the investigation continues, additional individuals and entities may be called upon to provide testimony and evidence to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the contracts awarded by Red.es and their connection to European funds. The decision to suspend certain summonses and the involvement of key figures in the case highlight the significance of the situation and the need for a comprehensive examination of the facts. Subscribing to updates on the case will ensure that no important details are missed as the investigation unfolds.
