Prosecutors Demand Jail Time in Major Corruption Case
The Public Prosecutor’s Office has filed charges in the Mediator corruption case, formally requesting a trial at the Investigation Court No. 4 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. This corruption ring operated between mid-2020 and 2021 and previously faced substantial penalties in an initial trial.
Marco Antonio Navarro Tacoronte, the mediator at the centre of the case, faces the harshest sentence of 13 years in prison. Taishet Fuentes, the former director of Livestock for the Canary Islands Government, could receive 11 years, while his uncle, Bernardo Fuentes (known as Tito Berni) and a former PSOE national representative, is facing eight years. The charges include membership in a criminal organisation and crimes such as bribery and fraud.
Francisco Espinosa Navas, a former general of the Civil Guard, is also implicated and could see a two-year prison term for bribery and influence peddling, linked to contract offers in Africa in exchange for commissions.
Additional requests for prison sentences involve various business figures:
- M. Á. R. G. (administrator of Hispano Robysa) – 10 months for bribery and fines.
- A. M. G. (Biogranja Montesdeoca) – 4 years and 6 months, plus disqualification from public subsidies for six years and a decade ban from public office.
- E. B. R. and M. I. R. E. (couple from Mec Suministra) – 3 years and 6 months each, alongside six years’ disqualification from public funding.
- J. S. S. E. and M. I. S. C. (Drones SL) – 3 years and 3 months each for bribery, along with disqualification from public funding.
- M. M. P. S. (businessman) – one year for bribery after hosting a £6,700 banquet and prostitution services to influence political support.
The prosecutor revealed how the scheme operated, led by Navarro Tacoronte, who targeted businesspeople by exploiting their needs for favours and contracts. The accused would often require an initial payment of €5,000 to accounts linked to a sports association run by Juan Bernardo Fuentes to front the operation. The prosecutor noted that a significant portion of these kickbacks funded lavish meals and services for the key figures involved.
Charges filed include lengthy prison terms and bans on public office for several involved, with all sentences stemming from their roles in facilitating this extensive corruption network.
