A businessman questions Jordi Pujol Ferrusola's role as an intermediary: "It doesn't fit at all."
Another witness claims that a purchase and sale transaction in Mexico that the prosecutor believes was a “sham” is “completely real.”
San Fernando de HenaresThe commissions Jordi Pujol Ferrusola received for acting as an intermediary in private business deals were the focus of the seventh session of the trial against the family of the former president of the Generalitat (Catalan government). For three hours, five transactions were considered particularly significant. One of the most prominent, which had already surfaced the previous day, was the expansion of a Repsol refinery in Cartagena. Martín Francisco Sicilia, director of the construction division of Técnicas Reunidas—the company that contracted Copisa Proyectos y Mantenimientos Industriales for this project—claimed ignorance of the eldest son's involvement and asserted that "no one external" intervened. Prosecutor Fernando Bermejo asked him if the case involved "private intermediation." "Absolutely not," he replied. Jordi Pujol Ferrusola received €612,000 for this transaction. Cristóbal Martell, the eldest son's lawyer, attempted to discredit his claim of ignorance. "Do you have any evidence to suggest that, prior to initiating these proceedings, Repsol couldn't have informed someone, who in turn informed Copisa, that Repsol would expand the refinery?" he asked. "Don't you have any evidence to suggest that this wasn't leaked and eventually became known to Copisa?" he insisted. And Martín Francisco Sicilia replied that it was "obvious" and that "everyone knew it."
Another transaction involved the sale of solar power plants in Alcázar de San Juan and Pedro Muñoz – in Ciudad Real province. When questioned by Martell, Manuel López Feliu – of the company Renovalia BCN – indicated that he facilitated the buyer – Adara Fotón SL – and that Jordi Pujol Ferrusola did the same with the seller – Copisa. He explained that he knew Pujol Ferrusola because they had met at a few meetings and that the negotiation lasted a year.
"No idea, I know absolutely nothing."
In Hospitalet, two sales have been reported. The first involved plots of land located between Vilafranca and Josep Tarradellas avenues, which belonged to FBEX Promoinmobiliària. Comapa paid Jordi Pujol Ferrusola €340,000 for his role as intermediary. However, Juan Parada Henares, who was the president and CEO of FBEX, testified that he knew nothing about it: "No idea, I'm completely unaware of anything." He explained that, in his case, it was Antonio Gálvez—who was the administrator of Busquets Gálvez and whom he "had known for years"—who asked him if he wanted to sell the land, and he said yes. And what did Gálvez say? "I can't do it alone, I'll come with someone else and we'll buy it together," he recalled. The witness believes it was the CEO of Copisa.
The person who could have shed some light on the matter was Antonio Gálvez, who was also summoned as a witness. However, he was unable to answer any of the questions posed by prosecutor Fernando Bermejo. Either he feigned ignorance, or he wasn't the witness they were supposed to call. "They made a mistake," he finally said. "It was an error, surely," he added.
Another case. For brokering the purchase of shares in Cevalls and Ceacsa, Jordi Pujol Ferrusola received €148,000 from Copisa. However, Basilio Antonio Rodríguez, who was an executive at Comapa, has stated that he has no knowledge of any brokerage work he may have carried out. He is unfamiliar with Imisa and Project Marketing CAT, two of the eldest son's companies, and does not know or recall whether they were involved in the sale. "Do you know who informed the group that Cevalls was on the market and could be bought?" Cristóbal Martell asked him. "No, I don't know," he replied.
A "completely real" business activity in Mexico
Another witness was Francisco Javier Puerta, who was the general manager of Azul de Cortés, an urban development project to build a tourist area on the Mexican coast. The land was purchased by Isolux Corsan, the company chaired by Luis Delso—who is also in the dock and attended the hearing in person today in San Fernando de Henares. The prosecution believes the transaction was not a typical business activity, but rather a "sham." "Was the nine years you worked there a real or simulated operation?" asked Óscar Morales, Delso's lawyer. "Completely real, we're working there," he replied. He had previously stated that he never saw or met Jordi Pujol Ferrusola and that he was introduced to Mercè Gironès at a breakfast meeting as a "courtesy."