TO BE FINISHED
The Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court has asked the Senate to suspend the immunity of the senator appointed by the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, Pedro San Ginés, a further step to continue advancing judicially in the case against him for the alleged commission of crimes of false testimony and false accusation.
The High Court recalls that senators cannot be charged or prosecuted without the prior authorization of the Senate, while adding that "the immunity of deputies and senators is not and cannot be understood as a personal privilege".
In this case, the investigating judge states that there are "sufficient indications" that Pedro San Ginés, current secretary general of the Canarian Coalition in Lanzarote, could have committed both crimes. This case was reopened by the Criminal Chamber after upholding the appeals of the Prosecutor's Office and private prosecution and recognizing that its filing was "hasty".
The High Court indicates that San Ginés, being then president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote and of the company for the Foreign Promotion of Lanzarote of the Centers for Art, Culture and Tourism, appeared before the premises of the Central Operative Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard of Costa Teguise on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 10:30 p.m. San Ginés appeared at the Benemérita barracks to denounce Carlos Espino, Antonio González and José Manuel Páez for the contracts between the Tourist Centers and González's company, Climafrical.
The Supreme Court states that this appearance "was made within the framework of an investigation apparently promoted by Espino", which gave rise to the largest corruption case in the Canary Islands, the Unión case.
San Ginés testified again in 2011, this time as a witness and not as a complainant, since the Centers for Art, Culture and Tourism had filed a complaint against Espino. After his last statement, the case was provisionally dismissed and then definitively in 2019.
The daughter of Antonio González, owner of Climafrical, who was indebted by the judicial process derived from San Ginés's complaint and died before seeing the definitive filing of the case against him, filed a complaint against San Ginés for these events, understanding that he had falsely denounced her father and then had falsely testified before the court on several occasions.
In a resolution last April, the High Court stated that "there is an undeniable evidentiary basis." In addition, it added that these indications "are far from being dismissed as extravagant or arbitrary".
