The Lanzarote businessman Oliver Rodríguez Santos, also known as a rally driver, has a new trial pending, which was scheduled to begin last Monday but was suspended for the second time and has now been set for March. Rodríguez already has several convictions for different crimes and must now answer for two more: one against land management, in conjunction with another for damage to historical heritage, and one for theft of goods of historical value. Both crimes were allegedly committed in a protected building, known as the "Casa de los Carrasco", located in the municipality of San Bartolomé.
The Prosecutor's Office is asking for a total of 5 years in prison, as well as a fine of 9,000 euros. In addition, in terms of civil liability, it demands that Oliver Rodríguez compensate the Carrasco Cabrera family, owners of the property that suffered the damage, with one million euros, which is the amount in which the "damage" caused has been valued; and with 11,440 euros more for different effects that he allegedly stole from the house and that have not been recovered.
According to the Prosecutor's Office, the events occurred between the end of 2004 and the beginning of 2007, when, through the company of which he is the administrator, Lanzaroveli SL, Rodríguez carried out "transformation works" on the farm where this protected building is located, which is included in the Municipal Architectural Catalog of San Bartolomé. Apparently, the accused had held negotiations with the owners of the property to acquire it, but they did not reach an agreement. However, he started works supposedly without the permission of the owners.
"Very serious and irreversible damage"
Among other things, these works eliminated "centennial plant specimens", renovated the paving near the entrance gate, raised ashlars and blocks of carved basalt stone, raised stones and demolished the "perimeter gallery of semicircular arches, walls, ceilings and cisterns", as well as two interior cisterns and eight other rooms such as stables, rooms, corrals, garage and henhouse. All of this, added to the construction of new walls, caused "very serious and irreversible damage" to this historical asset, according to the Prosecutor's Office.
In addition, "with the intention of obtaining an illicit patrimonial enrichment and without the consent of the Carrasco Cabrera family", Oliver Rodríguez "then proceeded to plunder basalt stone ashlars and all the construction material obtained after the corresponding demolitions". According to the indictment, Rodríguez even took away various furniture and belongings that were inside the house. Of these belongings, only one painting has been recovered, while the others, expertly valued at 11,440 euros, have not appeared. As for the allegedly stolen materials, "whose economic value is expertly incalculable", they were later located by Seprona.
"All the previous works and destruction were carried out by the accused with serious disregard for the territorial planning and the historical and cultural heritage of the municipality and its owners, lacking the corresponding enabling titles for it, since he did not have authorization from the Island Commission of Historical Heritage of the Cabildo, nor territorial qualification or municipal building license", argues the prosecutor's indictment. In addition, he emphasizes that he could not have obtained these permits either, since the land where this property is located is classified both in the planning of San Bartolomé and in the Island Plan as "rustic protection land, of ecological natural value, the Jable". To this, he adds that the municipal architectural catalog grants the property "full protection, and all its architectural, functional and typological features must be preserved".
San Ginés, among the witnesses and without identification
Initially, the holding of this trial, by the Criminal Court Number 3 of Arrecife, was scheduled for last July, but it was suspended due to the resignation of Oliver Rodríguez's lawyer, who changed his defense. The next date was set for last Monday, but this time it was the absence of an expert and a witness that forced the postponement of the hearing.
In total, 13 people are summoned to the trial between experts and witnesses. In the case, the Cabildo is present as an accusation, for the damages caused to the heritage, so a representative of the institution had to testify as a witness. The person who attended the hearing on behalf of the Cabildo was the president, Pedro San Ginés, who had not brought his ID.
After agreeing to suspend the trial for the second time, an anecdote took place in the room due to that forgetfulness, when the judge called all the witnesses to summon them for a new date. "Who is the one who comes without a document?", asked the judge Deborah Fátima Ruiz Molina, seeing that a witness's ID was missing. At that moment, Pedro San Ginés approached, who was reprimanded by the judge. "Well, you have to come identified to a Court, because I don't know you. And if I knew you, it wouldn't be valid either, because if you come as an accusation you have to come identified with more reason", the judge reproached him in front of all the other witnesses, among whom were technicians from the Cabildo and the City Council of San Bartolomé and agents of the Local Police and the Seprona of the Civil Guard, among others.
Twelve final convictions behind him
This trial, now set for March 14 and 15, adds to a long list of convictions that Óliver Rodríguez already has behind him. In total, the businessman and rally driver has already been convicted 12 times with final judgments.
The first conviction occurred in 2008, for a crime of document forgery. Afterwards, he was convicted again on three other occasions (in 2009, 2011 and 2013) for the same crime. In addition, between 2010 and 2011 he added seven other convictions. Two were for theft, one for driving under the influence of alcohol, another for misappropriation, one more for coercion, another for concealment of assets and one for a crime of damage.
The last conviction came in 2013, for a crime of fraud. After spending several years in prison, Óliver Rodríguez is now in a semi-freedom regime, with the third degree prison. Now, next March he will return to the dock, with a request for 5 years in prison.