Villarejo’s most important employee leaves him alone in the final phase of the process: “He was the supreme and almighty boss”
Rafael Redondo, Villarejo’s main collaborator, before the National Court on February 28. Jesus Hellin 2022 (Europa Press)
The first major trial of retired Commissioner José Manuel Villarejo, who faces a prosecutor’s request for more than 80 years in prison for orchestrating a macro-conspiracy of corruption, resumed this Monday and is entering its final stages. The defense of Rafael Redondo, the former National Police officer’s key aide, opened the session and took the opportunity to deny the prime suspect any responsibility. “My representative has followed the instructions given to him by Villarejo at all times. Villarejo was the supreme boss, he was the almighty boss. He exercised strict and absolute control,” stressed Redondo’s lawyer when presenting his conclusions.
The lawyer for the retired Commissioner’s great collaborator, who is leaving him alone in the final stages of the trial, has declared with enormous urgency: “My representative had to, and continues to have, the sanbenito of being Villarejo’s partner. Redondo is a lawyer and was hired by Villarejo to provide legal services in his companies,” he minimized his defense: “He followed the instructions Villarejo gave him at all times. […] Redondo is nobody’s agent.” “My agent’s real role was to be an employee of Villarejo, managed and brokered by Villarejo,” he argued.
More information
However, the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office admits Redondo to a key role in the plot. The State Ministry has emphasized that by profession this lawyer was not a simple subordinate. He was his confidante: he took part in client meetings with Villarejo – like the policeman, he occasionally recorded them – he prepared invoices, acted as agent for bank accounts and was a partner in the companies of the Commissioner’s corporate network. The accusation manages to place Redondo in his writings at the highest level: “[Junto] to Villarejo and Gemma Alcalá [la mujer del policía]have channeled their criminal activities.”
The police’s internal affairs department (UAI), the prosecutor’s office and coroner Manuel García-Castellón allege that Villarejo fueled a plot to sell spy services to individuals and companies, for which he accessed confidential administration databases in exchange for millions of dollars . “Redondo has determined the strategy to be followed by its customers based on the reserved data obtained illegally,” says Anti-Corruption of the collaborator.
This first major lawsuit against the commissioner focuses on three allegedly irregular projects: Iron, which involves the hiring of the commissioner by the law firm Herrero & Asociados to allegedly spy on another competing law firm (Balder); Land focusing on the family war between the heirs of Luis García-Cereceda, the builder who built the luxury urbanization La Finca in Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), and Pintor, who was involved with businessman Juan Muñoz Tamara, husband the presenter, deals Ana Rosa Quintana signed Villarejo to illegally obtain data from a former partner from whom they were demanding payment of a debt.
What affects most is what happens next. Subscribe so you don’t miss anything.
Subscribe to
“Laugh thanks to the boss”
Redondo’s lawyer, who also denounced irregularities in the judicial investigations this Monday, has minimized the role of his client. “My representative has recorded on very few occasions and at the express request of Villarejo,” he explained. “My client worked as an archivist for the Villarejo companies. There were many files in his office because it was one of the duties entrusted to him. He cannot be blamed for keeping files on the operations carried out by Villarejo in his office,” he continued. “My representative’s legacy is humble and far removed from that of Villarejo.”
“In fact, Redondo has shares in the Villarejo companies. Exactly 0.016%. If that’s a member of Villarejo, then God come and see,” the lawyer continued. “Redondo is guilty of accompanying Villarejo to specific meetings, but he did not accompany him with any specific or relevant mission. He accompanied him with a bundle, with candlesticks to laugh at the thanks of his boss”. “It is not acceptable to maintain an allegation in the form of an oil spill,” he accused prosecutors, who he accused of wanting “to overthrow Villarejo and its surroundings,” despite “what they did.” “They are guilty solely because of the proximity to Villarejo. This procedure serves to overthrow a large elephant and for this the forest was set on fire, not realizing that there are many people nearby who are not responsible for what Villarejo did,” the defense riveted.
This oral hearing entered its final phase in September with the presentation of the conclusions of all parties. After the allegations at the beginning of the month, the turnaround in the defense began this Tuesday. Once completed, the defendants can exercise their right to the last word. Later, the trial is set for sentencing almost a year after it began.
We can appeal the judge’s refusal to charge Cospedal
Podemos, emerging as a popular charge in the Villarejo case, appealed this Monday against Judge Manuel García-Castellón’s refusal to re-indict María Dolores de Cospedal, former secretary-general of the PP and former defense minister, with Operation Kitchen. The party has requested that investigations be reopened into the interior ministry’s police plot against former popular treasurer Luis Bárcenas, allegedly to steal compromising documents for senior officials of the conservative formation. According to Podemos, who is asking for the investigation to be reopened based on the revelations in the Villarejo audios published by this newspaper in recent months, these recordings “demonstrate the involvement of relevant members of the PP leadership and in particular of Cospedal in directing and conducting Operation kitchen”.
At the same time, Judge García-Castellón has dismissed the appearance of Sandro Rosell, former Barça president, as a victim in the case, as he saw no evidence of an alleged link between the commissioner’s network and the court case in which he was convicted and for which he spent more than two years in preventive detention before being acquitted.
