The Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court has upheld the appeal filed by the Prosecution and the private prosecution, led by the daughter of businessman Antonio González, against the dismissal of the case for false testimony and false accusation that the High Court is pursuing against the autonomous senator Pedro San Ginés (CC) and has reopened the case.
In the order issued on April 9, the Second Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court argues that the agreed dismissal "appears to be hasty" since it is "a case preceded by a prior investigation", which was "endorsed by the Provincial Court of Las Palmas", before San Ginés acquired the status of protected person upon being appointed as senator and that "prevented the normal culmination of the process".
The events date back to Wednesday, November 11, 2009, at 10:30 p.m., when San Ginés appeared at the Civil Guard station in Costa Teguise to report Carlos Espino, Antonio González, and José Manuel Páez for the contracts between the Tourist Centers and González's company, Climafrical.
The High Court states that although "there is no absolute connection" between Pedro San Ginés's complaint and the indictment of businessman Antonio González, "there is an undeniable evidentiary basis". Furthermore, it adds that this evidence "is far from being dismissed as extravagant or arbitrary" and that it even supported its "validation" when the order to open the oral trial was issued.
Thus, the Court appreciates "elements that suggest" that the former president did report Antonio González, since when he went "voluntarily" to the Civil Guard headquarters in the middle of the night to report "alleged irregularities", he pointed to the company Climafrical, managed by the businessman, and highlighted the "political affiliation" of Antonio González.
In this regard, the Criminal Chamber insists that Pedro San Ginés's statements to the police "are not based on official conclusions", despite the fact that he had been a councilor of the Art, Culture, and Tourism Centers, of the Local Business Public Entity of the Centers, and president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote. Furthermore, it highlights that "there is no official report in that regard", but rather that he "provides a report prepared by the legal services" of Coalición Canaria.
The Prosecution insisted in the now-accepted appeal that this complaint filed by Pedro San Ginés against Carlos Espino and the contracts of the Tourist Centers with Climafrical was a response to the complaint filed by Espino months earlier, which uncovered the largest political corruption scheme in the Canary Islands, the Unión case.
In this regard, the Supreme Court highlights that the resolutions of the Court of Arrecife and the Provincial Court that gave the green light for the opening of the oral trial "would endorse" that Pedro San Ginés acted "motivated by partisan interests", capable of incurring "falsehood" or a "reckless disregard for the truth".
This resolution comes after the Criminal Chamber rejected the appeal for reconsideration filed by both accusations in June of last year against the definitive dismissal and free dismissal of the case that judged the former president of Lanzarote.
