The Supreme Court has already resolved the appeals against the first sentence issued by the Provincial Court of Las Palmas in the Unión case, and has done so by ratifying the conviction of all the accused, but reducing the crimes and penalties imposed on almost all of them. Finally, of the six convicted in that piece, for the payment of fraudulent invoices to Francisco Rodríguez Batllori from the Arrecife City Council and from Inalsa, only Batllori himself and Dimas Martín will serve prison time.
However, the Supreme Court's ruling also contemplates a significant reduction for them with respect to the penalty imposed by the Provincial Court. In the case of Batllori, he was sentenced to 7 years and 3 months in prison and the Supreme Court reduces the prison sentence to 2 years, 9 months and 22 days, by eliminating one of the two crimes of embezzlement for which he was convicted, and also a crime of document forgery.
In the case of Dimas Martín, the Court imposed 5 and a half years in prison, and the Supreme Court reduces it to half, 2 years and 9 months, also eliminating one of the two crimes of embezzlement for which he was convicted. The Supreme Court does consider that both incurred in embezzlement with the payments made from the Arrecife City Council, but not with those of Inalsa. In that second case, it considers that the crime was prevarication. Therefore, in the case of both Batllori and Dimas, it replaces the prison sentence that was imposed on them for that crime, with another of disqualification, of four years, three months and one day. However, it maintains for both the prison sentences for the other crime of embezzlement, in relation to the payments made from the Arrecife City Council.
For this same reason, the Supreme Court changes the prison sentences to disqualification sentences for the other two people who were convicted for the payments made from Inalsa, that is, the former CEO Plácida Guerra and the former manager of the company, Rafael Elorrieta. And it also changes the crime of embezzlement to that of prevarication for the former councilor of Arrecife Luisa Blanco. To all three, the sentence imposes a penalty of 8 and a half years of disqualification from employment or public office.
As for the sixth convicted, the former Finance Councilor of Arrecife José Miguel Rodríguez, his sentence of one year in prison is maintained, since he acknowledged the facts, showed his agreement with the accusation and did not appeal the ruling.
