Jesús Gordillo, the former adviser to the former deputy mayor of Valencia, Alfonso Grau, who exposed the alleged corruption of the city's PP in financing Rita Barberá's election campaigns in 2007 and 2011, made a statement this Wednesday that is completely inappropriate Contrary to his statement, he stands before the Civil Guard and the investigating judge to try to exonerate Grau.
Despite the warnings of the chairman of the Second Section about the possible consequences of false statements, this former adviser attributed to the late businessman Vicente Sáez the possession of 350,000 euros in cash (supposedly intended to cover the PP's election costs in 2007). in the investigation phase he attributed it to Grau.
Asked about this change in version, Gordillo assured that he had explained that he was “under pressure” before the Civil Guard, that he had been the victim of “provocative or malicious questions”, that his health was “not good” and that he Furthermore (This became known when he testified for more than an hour.) A man stopped him “on a quiet street in Valencia” and threatened him by showing him a photo of his children.
“He gave me some documents, he told me to take them to the prosecutor, I said no and he showed me a photo of my children,” said this witness, before clarifying that he had the documents “without” for two days After looking at it at home, he finally decided to give it to a journalist, from whom he asked for a copy, which he is still waiting for.
After hearing these words, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office will examine the possibility of asking the Chamber to investigate this witness for false testimony as part of the final report process.
Gordillo's confession was crucial to the investigation of this part of the Imelsa case, as he was a former employee of Lantern (a communications group that worked for the PP in its campaigns) and also worked under the orders of former deputy mayor Alfonso Grau.
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According to the case summary, Gordillo provided the prosecutor's office – through the mediation of a journalist – with documents and invoices relating to payments from Lantern related to events in the 2007 PP campaign, as well as a contract dated April 3, 2007, in which Grau signed as “President of the PP of Valencia”. with the above-mentioned company the services for the campaign for 150,000 euros.
He also provided emails in which apparently instructions were given to “eliminate reference to the PP or to election campaign events in the billing” of companies hired by Lantern. The Civil Guard has found signs of authenticity in all these documents, as they relate to the declarations made by the company to the tax authority.
According to his previous story, Lantern failed to pay several subcontractors after the 2007 campaign, so Grau ordered him to collect a check for 150,000 euros from Secopsa and gave him 350,000 euros in 500 notes to pay off these debts.
However, this Wednesday he pointed to the late businessman Vicente Sáez (Lantern) as the owner of this 350,000 euros of unclear origin, stressing that this money “never” left Grau's pocket.
Gordillo was repeatedly questioned by the President of the Chamber and by the Prosecutor about the reason for his contradictions, and in his answers he included reasons such as that he had declared at dawn, in strenuous meetings and under pressure, that he let himself divorced and suffered from depression, he took medication, he made a mistake or he was the victim of “instructional or malicious” questions from the UCO agents – and all before he revealed – for the first time – the episode alleged threats to which he did not provide any further details.
Of the seven witnesses cited this Thursday, only one, a former press adviser to Barberá, has fully confirmed what she had previously said, in particular the operation (archived and outside this case) for which the municipal group of the PP claimed advisers and councilors took place in 2015 the deposit of 1,000 euros into the party's account, which was later paid back in two 500 notes.