Former Minister of Tourism Carlos Delgado This Monday, he denied having maneuvered to favor one of his lawyer friends and partners in the allocation of the Calanova marina (Palma). “I had friends in all the nautical businesses,” he said in the first session of the trial of the Calanova affair, which is investigating irregularities in the allocation of infrastructure.
To questions from the anti-corruption prosecutor Juan Carrauthe one who was an advisor with Jose Ramon Bauza indicated that at the time of the competition award in 2013, he knew that his lawyer Carlos Gelabertwhom he had just met and with whom he only had a professional relationship since he was going through a divorce, was considering running for the attribution of the Calanova marina because he had a relationship with the world nautical.
“I had no obligation to abstain”Delgado said in relation to his participation as an advisor in the award process.
Furthermore, the Tourism manager insisted that at that time, although the relationship subsequently became closer, the relationship with the beneficiary was absolutely professional. “I had no legal obligation to abstain since we did not meet the conditions for abstention,” he insisted.
Regarding the alleged close friendship that Delgado had with the beneficiary of the competition – who would become his partner – the former advisor denied it, assuring that it was “a lie” propagated by a person against whom a complaint for perjury has been filed.
Delgado recalled the need to privatize the port of Calanova in the face of the administration’s economic difficulties because it is “in a disastrous situation.” “There has been a historic push with moorings. Even politicians and judges had moorings without paying.he added.
At the start of the trial, several defense lawyers for the man known as Calanova case They requested the cancellation of the proceedings and the free acquittal of the accused for alleged irregularities during the investigation.
The procedure places the former Minister of Tourism on the bench with José Ramón Bauzá, Carlos Delgado and five other people accused of having favored the Port Olímpic company in the tender for the privatization of the Calanova marina.
At the beginning of the hearing, during the handling of preliminary questions, the lawyer for two of the accused requested the free acquittal of all the accused, citing irregularities that occurred during the investigation process, including on the statements of the accused examined. which were ordered, according to him, outside the legally fixed deadline.
The former councilor’s lawyer has been calling for the cancellation of the investigation since December 2020 due to the incompetence of the investigating judge, whose mission at the court, according to him, would have ended at that time – there.
Anti-corruption prosecutor Juan Carrau and the prosecution countered the issues raised by the defense.
The representative of the Public Ministry requests against the former minister a sentence of disqualification and one year and nine months in prison for the crimes of prevarication and influence peddling. He also demands payment of a fine of 1.1 million euros. For the rest of the defendants, similar prison sentences and fines also exceeding one million euros are also required.
