Two of the main investigated in the so-called "Mediator case", the former PSOE deputy Juan Bernardo Fuentes Curbelo and his nephew Taishet Fuentes have appeared this Thursday, June 29, in the court in charge of the case to complete a handwriting test in the face of a possible crime of document forgery.
The expert opinion was carried out before a specialist and is supposedly related to various documents found during the investigation, including a list of entities and people, their current accounts and the amounts that they would have apparently paid to the investigated that range between 80,000 and 200,000 euros, judicial sources have informed EFE.
Before taking office as a deputy in Congress, Juan Bernardo Fuentes Curbelo was general director of Livestock, a position in which he was replaced until his dismissal by his nephew Taishet.
The two are charged in this case with crimes of document forgery, membership of a criminal gang, prevarication and bribery, for an alleged collection of money in exchange for obtaining favorable treatment before public administrations, including the Ministry of Agriculture of the Government of the Canary Islands in sanctioning and aid application files.
Also summoned this Thursday as new defendants were the Deputy Minister of the Primary Sector of the Ministry of Agriculture, Álvaro de Bárcena, and the Head of Service of the same department, Margarita González, although in the end their statement has been postponed to next July 12.
The first to arrive at the Court of Instruction number 4 of Santa Cruz de Tenerife was Taishet Fuentes, minutes before 10:00 in the morning and half an hour later the former national deputy did so, this time accompanied by his lawyer.
In both cases they were angrily approached by the demonstrations and protests of the Justice officials who were waiting for them at the entrance of the Palace of Justice. Nor did they make any type of statement to the various media that remained in the same place as the protesters.
The two investigated remained for almost two hours in the Court, a period in which they underwent this handwriting test and then availed themselves of their right not to answer when the magistrate tried to extend their initial appearance, in which they did answer the questions of all parties.
It still remains to be specified which lawyer will appear on behalf of the popular accusations that have requested to participate in the procedure: PSOE, PP, Vox, Fuerza Canaria, Unified Association of Civil Guards and the consumer association Aguaiuris. The judge in charge of the case accepted all six, but on the condition that they share the same lawyer. For the moment, it has only been made public that the PSOE has proposed the lawyer Sandra Rodríguez.
It was planned that eight people would appear this week but finally four have done so; the two businesswomen from a drone business (yesterday Wednesday) and the former public officials who did so this Thursday. The former stated that "they felt cheated after having paid 47,000 euros with the promise that they would be facilitated the location of a branch in the islands, when in reality they saw how they did not win any of the contests that were called, despite the promises and guarantees that were made to them".
