Madrid (EFE).- The judge of the National Court José Luis Calama has provisionally released with precautionary measures the retired General of the Civil Guard Francisco Espinosa Navas, investigated in the branch of the “Mediator case” that was recently assumed by the European Prosecutor’s Office.
Calama, who acts as a guarantee judge in this part of the investigation led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, has responded to the general’s request, which the Public Prosecutor had opposed, considering that the risk of escape is very low and that at this time there is no risk of alteration or destruction of evidence.
However, the magistrate has imposed as precautionary measures the obligation to appear every fifteen days in court, the withdrawal of the passport and the express prohibition of leaving the country, and warns him that his failure to comply may lead to the adoption of measures more serious.
He was in charge of a program with European funds
General Espinosa was the only one of those investigated in the mediator case who went to provisional prison after being arrested on February 14 for crimes such as bribery, influence peddling and belonging to a criminal group, accused of being one of the leaders of a plot that allegedly he collected bribes from businessmen to mediate in his favor in contracts or public aid or avoid inspections and sanctions.
This case is being investigated in a court in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, although the European Prosecutor’s Office decided to assume the part that affects the GAR-SI Sahel contracts, a collaboration program with the security forces of several African countries that was administered by a foundation Spanish public, but it was financed with EU funds. At the head of this program was General Espinosa.
The judge considers that the risk of flight is “very low”
Judge Calama, who was appointed judge of guarantees for that part of the investigation and who has the power to rule on the personal situation of the person being investigated, recalls that, although the Prosecutor’s Office also opposed the previous request for the general’s release, he admitted that His wish was that this “exceptional situation” of preventive detention would end soon.
The magistrate points out in his order that, “beyond the criminal acts” that Espinosa is accused of “based on some very solid evidence”, the risk of him fleeing the country is “very low” due to the “strong roots” that he has in Spain, both personally and economically, so that “there is no element or indication that alerts him to his possible escape abroad.”
And he also does not see that there is a risk that the person being investigated will destroy evidence by having been in prison “sufficient time for the investigators to have been able to properly secure those aforementioned sources of evidence.”