The presiding judge of the Court of Instruction number 4 of Arrecife, Ricardo Fiestras, has informed the Provincial Court that his court should not investigate the criminal case against the former president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Pedro San Ginés, for corruption in the hiring of his lawyer friend, Ignacio Calatayud, in the public companies Inalsa and the Consortium.
The case remained in the hands of the investigating judge Jerónimo Alonso of the Court of Instruction number two of Arrecife. However, the defense of Ignacio Calatayud requested the change of magistrate considering that Alonso was not "competent" to investigate it. After that, the Provincial Court handed over the case to the court of Ricardo Fiestras. This judge had already dismissed in 2016 another case in which he analyzed the hiring of Ignacio Calatayud by the Island Water Council and Canal Gestión in the seizure of the desalination plant of Montaña Roja.
In a report issued to the Court, Ricardo Fiestras clarifies that the mentioned case has no relation with the hiring of Calatayud by Pedro San Ginés in the bankruptcy proceedings of the public company Insular de Aguas de Lanzarote (Inalsa) in substitution of Juan José Cobo Plana, which is currently being investigated.
In his writing, Ricardo Fiestras makes a detailed explanation of the case that his court processed in its moment and concludes that it has no relation with the ones that now investigate the hirings to the same lawyer by his friend Pedro San Ginés from other organisms, like Inalsa and the Consortium, in which he would have allegedly obtained more than 1.5 million euros illegally.
Relationship with Calatayud and Pedro San Ginés
In the writing addressed to the Provincial Court, Judge Fiestras has also pronounced on his relationship with Ignacio Calatayud: "When Mr. Calatayud assumed legal advisory functions in commercial or contentious proceedings, of the company of Mr. Germán Díaz, with whom I have a personal and family friendship, even our common families have a good relationship, resulting in Mr. Germán Díaz, from time to time, usually organizes lunches/meals in restaurants to which he brings as guests different people from his field, automotive sector or financial sector, sometimes employees, etc., most of the times people I do not know personally".
Ricardo Fiestras affirms that "no contact of any kind has had" with Ignacio Calatayud since his arrival to the island "15 years ago". At the same time in which he recognizes having "coincided" with Calatayud, investigated in the cause, "in four or five occasions, always invited by a third party and in company of more people" during meals in restaurants. In no case implies that this informant has any personal friendship with Calatayud", he insists.
Meanwhile, about his relationship with Pedro San Ginés, he relates having "coincided with him in numerous public acts when he was president of the Cabildo" and that the rest of those investigated in the cause "I do not know them".
At the same time, in the report he has also responded about the alleged labor link, denounced in the press, of the companies of his sister and another entity advised by Ignacio Calatayud: "The labor activity of my sister is part of her private sphere and has nothing to do with the present cause".
Context
The patrimonial report of the Team against Organized Crime (ECO), dependent on the Central Operative Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard accredited that the UTE EDAM Janubio made a transfer of 642,000 euros to the mercantile of Ignacio Calatayud to pay the procedural costs of an incident of the bankruptcy proceedings in which Calatayud acted as lawyer.
Two days later, Ignacio Calatayud cancelled the mortgage of two houses located in the Chueca square in Madrid. According to the cited report, this payment would correspond with two minutes that the lawyer and friend of Pedro San Ginés would have obtained in concept of judicial costs property of the Consortium of Water of Lanzarote and of Inalsa.
The appropriation of these and other judicial costs by Calatayud originated the complaint of the Consortium and Inalsa and the current judicial cause.
