Jordi Pujol Ferrusola was paid by Copisa without a contract because he was "trustworthy"

San Fernando de HenaresThe trial of the Pujol family is progressing well. In two hours on Tuesday, seven witnesses testified, shedding light on the commissions Jordi Pujol Ferrusola received for brokering private acquisitions of Copisa—a company chaired by Josep Cornadó, who is on trial for money laundering and document forgery. According to Judge José de la Mata's investigation, a total of €2.9 million in commissions was paid to the eldest son of the former president of the Generalitat (Catalan government). One of the most noteworthy testimonies came from Orlando de Porrata-Doria, Copisa's CEO, who spoke about the expansion of Repsol's Cartagena refinery: the eldest son received €612,000 in three invoices for informing them about this business opportunity. There was no contract. "They pay €199,000 in fees for a phone call?" remarked prosecutor Fernando Bermejo, referring to the first of the three invoices. "We're talking about a contract worth almost 36 million euros," said De Porrata-Doria. And, just like Jordi Puig did this on Monday —the brother of former regional minister Felip Puig—, has acknowledged that there is no document to prove it: "Jordi Pujol Ferrusola regularly worked with other sections of our group and was a trusted person. Therefore, there was no contract involved," he explained.

One of the most anticipated witnesses was Xavier Tauler Ferré, a childhood friend of the eldest son. He was the CEO of Copisa Constructora Pirenaica, almost joined him in the dock—he was exonerated when Podemos withdrew as a plaintiff—and is currently a defendant in the 3% corruption case. "I am unaware of Jordi Pujol's involvement," he replied to the prosecutor's questions about three invoices that the Copisa Group paid to the eldest son in exchange for intermediation: two totaling 960,000 euros for urbanization works in Ronda—in Málaga—a project he remembers "perfectly," from one of the 00, from one of the 0. Promociones Club de Campo y Golfo de Ronda. "I am unaware," Xavier Tauler Ferré replied four times when the prosecutor asked him about the eldest son's role. Later, José Luis Prada, who was a technician at Comapa Inmobiliaria –part of the Copisa Group–, did recall that Tauler told him he would call the eldest son to give him information about a property in Ronda that might interest them. Xavier Tauler Ferré also acknowledged that €139,200 was paid to Imisa –one of Jordi Pujol Ferrusola's companies– for acting as an intermediary in the sale of some solar plants in the municipalities of Alcázar de San Juan and Pedro Muñoz, where he was told there was a potential buyer. In return, he personally negotiated the percentage to be charged with the eldest son, which ended up being 1.5%.

The lawyers for the Pujol family and the businessmen left today's proceedings satisfied. One lawyer admitted shortly before the session began that he was uneasy about what some witnesses might say, but acknowledged upon leaving that they were pleased. "A perfect ten, we didn't even break a sweat," another lawyer exclaimed. Given how everything went, one of the lawyers even questioned the prosecutor's questioning: "He has no idea how the business world works."

How much is paid for mediation?

The amount of commissions paid to intermediaries between private companies was a recurring theme throughout the session. Under questioning by Jorge Ayo, Josep Cornadó's lawyer, more than one witness described paying commissions of between 1% and 5% as "commonplace," payable only upon successful completion of a transaction. Ayo also emphasized that all the transactions discussed were private relationships between companies without any involvement of public administrations. It also became clear that intermediation was a frequent activity for Jordi Pujol Ferrusola. "When I was reviewing a transaction, Mr. Cornadó would tell me that he had been referred to Pujol," recalled José Luis Prada. However, he himself framed the involvement of third parties in these types of deals as normal: "It's normal for purchase orders to come to you through intermediaries." Previously, Xavier Tauler Ferré had spoken along the same lines: "It's common. It's very important to seize business opportunities and have that possibility. There's prior work involved in identifying opportunities and offering them to companies." Jordi Solà, who managed Comapa Inmobiliaria, recalled that at that time, during the real estate boom, the company "was very interested in acquiring land for the future." And that's why it was important to find out about available offers as soon as possible to get ahead of the work.

The session began with episodes of memory lapses. Santiago Ballesté, manager of Talleres R Ballesté e Hijos SL, was unable to clarify the 32 million peseta payments he made to Jordi Pujol Ferrusola. "I don't remember it at all," he replied. "I'd like to help you, but I don't remember anything," he insisted, much to the prosecutor's frustration. He even asked what Imisa was. The prosecutor's patience was wearing thin: "You've come as a witness and you must tell the truth." In this session, the public prosecutor questioned the witnesses in a more agitated tone than before, though he resignedly accepted some of the answers he received.