For three hours, Rodríguez responded yesterday to the questions of the prosecutor, Jaime Serrano, and the lawyers for the defense of those investigated in the NAP case. The representation of the private prosecution, which is exercised by the Sí Podemos Canarias group in the Cabildo, did not ask any questions. The CEO of ITER once informed the Prosecutor’s Office of the alleged irregularities in which the Public Prosecutor’s Office found evidence of a crime to file a complaint in June of last year. It should be remembered that this complaint is part of a letter from the current government of the Cabildo, formed by PSOE and Ciudadanos, with the external support of Sí Podemos Canarias.
Basically, the fourteen members of that council would be responsible for supporting an operation as complex as it is fraught with legal doubts: the acquisition by the public company ITER of the half public and half private company NAP, assuming with public money the considerable debts of the private party “without these private partners making additional outlays, assuming any risk, or having to answer for those losses”.
Eight more sessions will complete until June 6 the statements of the 30 witnesses
The Prosecutor’s Office of the Provincial Court of Santa Cruz de Tenerife considers that the 14 members of the ITER board of directors from ten years ago could commit continued prevarication and embezzlement of public funds. The quantification of these funds would amount to about 12 million euros.
The former president of the Cabildo and today CC spokesperson, Carlos Alonso, the former insular vice-president Aurelio Abreu (PSOE) and the current deputy minister for the Fight Against Climate Change of the Government of the Canary Islands, Miguel Ángel Pérez (PSOE), have already declared themselves under investigation. Another former island president, Ricardo Melchior, justified health problems for not going to testify and the former managing director of ITER, Manuel Cendagorta, accepted his right not to do so.
The former president of CajaCanarias, Álvaro Arvelo, has also passed through the court in this case; the current CEO of the entity INtech Tenerife, Raquel Lucía Pérez Brito; the former rector of the ULL, Eduardo Doménech; the former director of the Technological Institute of the Canary Islands (ITC) Nicolás Díaz; former island councilors Antonio García Marichal (CC), Magaliz López García (CC) and Jesús Morales (CC); the former Granadilla Town Planning Councilor Esteban González (PP); and the former director of the IAC, Francisco Sánchez. The witnesses will be called to testify on April 25, May 9, 12, 13, 18, 19 and 25, and June 6, when the testimony will conclude.
