The former mayor of Arrecife Isabel Déniz (2001-2007) agreed with the historical leader of the Lanzarote Independent Party (PIL) Dimas Martín to demand different amounts of money from the managers of the company TECMED S.A (now Urbaser) in exchange for awarding them the city's garbage contract and two construction contracts. This is stated as proven facts in the judgment, which is subject to appeal, issued by the Second Section of the Provincial Court of Las Palmas that condemned both and was announced this past Monday.
To rig the garbage tender, Isabel Déniz had the collaboration of the then secretary of the Arrecife City Council, Felipe Fernández Camero, also condemned in the same case to more than ten years in prison, and the head of the Technical Office of the institution, Juan Rafael Arrocha, for whom five years were imposed.
Both public officials and the president of the PIL, the party to which Déniz belonged before joining the Canarian Coalition, received money in cash, luxury items, trips and hotel stays so that, in exchange, the garbage contract for the capital would be awarded to them.
These gifts were given on most occasions by the managing director of TECMED S.A. in Lanzarote, Jacinto Álvarez de la Fuente, who had a "more direct, habitual and daily" relationship with politicians and officials. Meanwhile, TECMED executives Manuel Andrés Martínez and Santiago Alonso Herrero were the ones who authorized these payments and gifts.
Urbaser's managers received confidential and privileged information to be able to win the public tender, replaced the documentation and adapted it to the requirements of the tender. This new documentation was presented eight days after the deadline for submitting bids. With this, Felipe Fernández Camero "grossly violated his duty to safeguard the entire documentation" and allowed Juan Rafael Arrocha to have access to the secret documentation to know which company was the best placed in the tender.
Therefore, the Court sees as proven facts that Felipe Fernández Camero and Juan Rafael Arrocha failed in their duties and changed the initial offer for a more favorable one. Isabel Déniz continued to ask Urbaser to pay for trips, jewelry, watches and luxury bags, as well as stays in five-star hotels once the tender was resolved in favor of Urbaser.
Gifts and cash for Isabel Déniz
Within the framework of this operation, the Court considers it proven that Isabel Déniz received 141,000 euros in cash delivered on different dates, as well as various gifts such as a Rolex watch (4,750 euros), a Loewe bag and designer furniture, trips and stays in five-star hotels.
Déniz "requested, asked for and even demanded multiple deliveries of gifts in all types of species", according to the judgment of the Provincial Court, from trips in business with stays in five-star hotels (Hotel Hsperia in Madrid) for her and for other people such as her husband, PIL councilors, such as Carmen Ramos, or for Felipe Fernández Camero himself.
In this regard, the ruling of the Second Section of the Court includes a trip to Kenya, with a stop in Tanzania, between January 17 and 27, 2004 and a stopover in Madrid, worth 15,653.88 euros. In total, 14,000 euros for this trip were delivered by Jacinto Álvarez himself to Felipe Fernández Camero.
Urbaser also gave María Isabel Déniz two tickets for the opera Don Carlo de Verdi in Madrid, with a total value of 574 euros.
Within the framework of these gifts, in May 2006 Déniz deposited 80,000 euros in her current account. Specifically, 54 500-euro bills, 15 200-euro bills and 500 100-euro bills. At the end of that same year, the company began paying a domestic worker for Isabel Déniz's house, which amounted to a total of 700 euros per month.
14,000 euros to Felipe Fernández Camero
Meanwhile, the judgment considers it proven that Felipe Fernández Camero received 14,000 euros in cash for the aforementioned trip to Kenya, which he made together with his wife, with María Isabel Déniz and her husband, as well as the tickets paid for by Urbaser from Lanzarote to Madrid and a Mont Blanc pen worth 765 euros.
Juan Rafael Arrocha receives 180,000 euros
Urbaser gave Juan Rafael Arrocha 180,000 euros in cash, in various installments when the condemned traveled to Madrid at the company's expense or through the works director when he visited Arrecife.
In addition, he was given an Ipad, valued at 636.25 euros, a Dupong lighter valued at 240, a Panasonic camera (420.75 euros) and they paid him for different watches from the Dupont (475 euros) and Seiko (830 euros) brands, as well as trips to Madrid with stays in generally luxury hotels.
In addition, Urbaser also renovated the office located in his home for free.
Payments to Dimas Martín
On the other hand, Dimas Martín received 72,000 euros in cash within the framework of this operation. On this occasion, they were delivered by the Urbaser leaders in several payments, some in the bank account of Dimas Martín's wife and others in cash.
In total, Urbaser S.A. financed up to 25 trips through Viajes El Corte Inglés to the public officials of the Arrecife City Council, which amounted to 61,814.18 euros. On most occasions, the former head of the Technical Office, Juan Rafael Arrocha, traveled.
Most of the accommodations were made at the Hotel Hesperia in Madrid, a five-star hotel located on the Paseo de La Castellana.
