In the middle, with his back turned, Commissioner Carlos Salamanca, during the hearing last Monday.CHEMA MOYA (EFE)
This Thursday, prosecutor Miguel Serrano described Commissioner Carlos Salamanca, the former border officer at Madrid's Barajas airport, as a “corrupt” person who, guided by his great “ambition” and love of luxury, accepted gifts and cash from change to show favors to business people. An agent who decided to disregard the “criteria of impartiality and his police zeal” in order to enrich himself and lead a high standard of living. Thanks go, among others, to Francisco Menéndez, who worked for the state-owned oil company Gepetrol in Guinea and allegedly showered him with gifts (high-end cars and watches, trips, parties…) to allow company executives to enter Spain without control. This company is linked to the dictatorial regime of Teodoro Obiang.
The representative of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office drew this portrait during the final phase of the trial that the National Court conducted this week against Salamanca and Menéndez. This was the second oral hearing in the Villarejo case, this time focusing solely on the relationship between these two defendants. Two fundamental figures for understanding the judicial investigation against retired commissioner José Manuel Villarejo, already sentenced to 19 years in prison in another part of the case. The macro summary comes from an anonymous complaint from 2017 that the State Department attributed to the businessman who later dared to cooperate with investigators: he confessed his own involvement and told how he had acted as an intermediary for senior managers at Gepetrol, to do dirty work. Business with Villarejo; and how Commissioner Salamanca also helped them enter the country illegally through Barajas.
This Thursday, the trial was ready for sentencing after the prosecution, which had originally requested a ten-year prison sentence for Commissioner Salamanca, increased its request to a prison sentence of ten years and nine months after attributing to him a new crime of bribery – in addition to the other three crimes he accused him of in his indictment (another for bribery, subterfuge and violation of the rights of foreign citizens).
For its “extraordinary” cooperation in uncovering Villarejo's conspiracy, the anti-corruption organization is asking for only six months in prison for Menéndez, who received protection during the investigation. Serrano has highlighted his role as confessor and said of him: “He has opened the floodgates to many realities that we do not want to know about.” What the Catalan poet Gil de Biedma “the other history of the Spaniards, the history of the land of demons “called.
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During his final presentation, prosecutor Serrano described Menéndez and Salamanca as “two poles of important power.” The first represents “business” power: its “main customers are people associated with Gepetrol who are said to have committed themselves to embezzlement in their own country and who later brought part of these benefits to Spain through that country.” Salamanca, on the other hand, embodies institutional Power: “He is the head of the Barajas police station, a nerve center of the economic, political and diplomatic power of the state.” During his testimony in court, Menéndez already admitted that, due to his influence at the airport, he was always keen to maintain this relationship with the To uphold police officers: “For me it was like knowing God.”
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The ministry insisted that the businessman had approached Salamanca out of simple “economic interest,” although they later managed to maintain a friendly relationship. “He is the representative of the border post that they use for their business,” added Serrano, who this Thursday listed the gifts that the police officer had received: luxury cars (two Porsches), luxury watches and trips, transfers of a box from the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium to watch Real Madrid games… According to Menéndez, he also delivered cash and paid for private parties and meals in restaurants. “It was 'I help you, you help me.'” “You take care of me, I take care of you,” the prosecutor stated.
Flamenco festivals
The parade of witnesses testified to the high standard of living of Salamanca and his family, which investigators said did not match the income he earned through his work. Two flamenco artists (guitarist Tito Losada and singer Marta Heredia) talked about the usual private parties they organized at the Casa Piluca restaurant in Madrid, where, according to the owner of the establishment, they also regularly ate and enjoyed long meals after dinner . “Carlos Salamanca paid us about 200 or 300 euros each time,” explained Heredia, who told how they went to a birthday party at the commissioner's house because of his good treatment: “On this occasion we were not there -profit”.
Salamanca's son also confirmed the good relationship they had with Menéndez. And how it translated into money and gifts. For example, the businessman gave her 25,000 euros for her wedding. “My father made deliveries to me, which were given to my father through a lawyer. Half [esa cantidad] in three or four parts. And the woman gave me the last 5,000 euros. [de Menéndez]”, explained the policeman's son in court and added: “At my wedding I collected 60,000 or 70,000 euros in cash.” In the checking account, in transfers: 140,000 or 145,000 euros.” A day earlier, Menéndez had referred to the same marriage : “Salamanca told me: 'My son expects a lot from you.'”
The former commissioner of Barajas, who defended his innocence throughout the hearing, took advantage of his opportunity to have the last word again this Thursday: “My commitment to the police has been impeccable and impeccable. […] “I felt completely exploited in this process due to the possible exonerations and extenuating circumstances of a person who wanted to evade his social, fiscal and criminal responsibilities,” he said, referring to Menéndez. The agent even described his former friend's attitude as a “crime of passion”: “That of a person who loves another very much and suddenly finds himself abandoned due to life's circumstances and wants to throw him out.” It's all in the face.”
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