The businessman in the Begoña Gómez case tells the judge that he met with Sánchez alone in Moncloa

Juan Carlos Barrabesthe businessman in the Begoña Gómez case who was supported by Pedro Sánchez’s wife so that he could benefit from million-dollar contracts with public money, appeared again this Thursday before the judge who is investigating an alleged crime of influence peddling. Barrabés, who was summoned this time as a defendant, it has done by videoconference from his home. He has only answered his lawyer’s questions, confirmed the appointments at the Moncloa to which he already referred as a witness and indicated who was alone with the President of the Government on one occasion.

Days ago, Barrabés declared in a testimony that he met with the socialist leader in some meetings. According to legal sources present at the interrogation, he has now confirmed these meetings and has specified that he understood that were part of a round table discussion between Sánchez and experts from the innovation sector. He added that on other occasions he has been met with representatives of other parties and institutions as a benchmark in the innovation sector.

Barrabés has not specified which other parties have requested his knowledge, but at one point during his questioning he recalled that He won his first public competition with the Madrid City Council (during the time of Más Madrid) and then renewed it with another administration (the PP). Regarding the meetings she had with Gómez, she specified this Thursday that she asked him for help to set up the master’s degree that she directs at the Complutense and that Not all of them were in Moncloabut some were held in his office. The businessman taught classes for a year.

However, when questioned by his lawyer, he has disassociated the meetings with Begoña Gómez from the letters of recommendation signed by the president’s wife for win public money competitions that depended on her husband’s government. Barrabés said that his company has 400 workers and that he is not in charge of the competitions that they apply for because there is a specific department for that. He justified that the support of the president’s wife in the form of recommendation letters was not for him or his company, but for the project in which they participate together with other entities.

IT MAY INTEREST YOU

The judge indicts Barrabés after revealing meetings with Begoña Gómez and Sánchez in Moncloa

Pablo Gabilondo

Barrabés has appeared again after the judge cancelled his summons last Monday for medical reasons. This new appearance has also taken place when Barrabés’ defense has appealed his accusation before the judge, arguing that “the proceedings do not provide any reason to make a statement as a suspect or to direct the investigation” against him.

In his statement as a witness (with a legal obligation to tell the truth), which took place on July 15, Juan Carlos Barrabés He revealed that he met twice in Moncloa with Pedro Sánchez in the presence of Begoña Gómez, according to legal sources present at the interrogation. The businessman also said that he had at least six other meetings in the presidential palace with the wife of the socialist leader.

As revealed by this newspaper, Sánchez’s wife signed two letters of support for Barrabés that They allowed him to take up to three public contracts of the Government. In turn, the consultant helped Begoña Gómez to set up her Master’s Degree in Competitive Social Transformation.

The meetings in Moncloa now discovered were allegedly related to the design and preparation of the academic program and would have coincided in time with the letters of support being investigated by the 41st Court of Instruction of Madrid. Begoña Gómez is accused of influence peddling and corruption in the private sector.

IT MAY INTEREST YOU

Barrabés reveals that he met twice with Sánchez in Moncloa in the presence of Begoña

Pablo Gabilondo Jose Maria Olmo

Barrabés did not specify in July the content of these meetings in Moncloa. He only He said he spoke with Sánchez about “innovation” and that “a third person, a stylist related to the world of fashion” was also present. According to his version, all the meetings were facilitated by Begoña Gómez and, in one of them, Sánchez was present “for a short time because he had to leave to take some calls.”

Regarding the specific dates on which these meetings took place at the residence of the President of the Government, the consultant assured that I was not able to specify when they took place. Only that they were in the months following the pandemiccoinciding with the period on which the proceedings focus.

In the July statement, neither the Prosecutor’s Office nor Begoña Gómez’s lawyer, nor the former socialist minister Antonio Camacho, asked Barrabés any questions. The judge, on the other hand, did insist on various issues. Among them, the public contracts that were also taken from the Madrid City CouncilAccording to the same sources, one of these contracts was awarded during the time when Más Madrid governed the council and the judge asked about the then councillor Luis Cueto.

He has grown up

The company also came up during the defense’s questioning. It became a subsidiary of Globalia-, with which Begoña Gómez could have had a relationship, according to the accusations, given that the IE Africa Center was sponsored by this company. Barrabés has asserted that this subsidiary of Globalia, and which is run by Leticia Lauffer –who will testify as a witness on August 26– was a client on a project he considered important, according to these same sources.

IT MAY INTEREST YOU

El Confidencial’s investigation into Begoña Gómez: the facts that not even she denies

Alejandro Cheese

Vox lawyer Marta Castro pointed out at the end of the statement that Barrabés has provided more details of those public contracts obtained by his group, “he has recalled much more” than in his appearance as a witness, and has been “relevant to the continuation of the investigation.” However, he recalled that the businessman had testified for half an hour and that he was not obliged to tell the truth. He believes that he had followed the line of offering information “to the extent that he could declare (…) without harming himself.”

For his part, Hazte Oír’s lawyer, Javier María Pérez Roldán, has ruled out carrying out “legal assessments” Regarding Barrabés’ statement “so as not to hinder the investigation” we understand that the matter will continue, that in September, perhaps in October we understand that the investigation should be considered finished and that there is sufficient evidence to execute,” he said, pointing to the Possible opening of oral proceedings.

Pérez Roldán has also referred to the complaint filed by Sánchez against Judge Peinado and which, in his opinion, could seek “torpedo the instruction” and that there is a change of judge” that this complaint is a genuine legal nonsense and a manifestation of the Government interference in the Judiciary,” he added.

Juan Carlos Barrabesthe businessman in the Begoña Gómez case who was supported by Pedro Sánchez’s wife so that he could benefit from million-dollar contracts with public money, appeared again this Thursday before the judge who is investigating an alleged crime of influence peddling. Barrabés, who was summoned this time as a defendant, it has done by videoconference from his home. He has only answered his lawyer’s questions, confirmed the appointments at the Moncloa to which he already referred as a witness and indicated who was alone with the President of the Government on one occasion.