The Audiència de Tarragona heard two versions this Thursday about the role of Jorge Batesteza in the construction of the Hospital Sant Joan de Reus, with the focus on whether his work for Innova and for BBATS within the UTE Euroconsult corresponded to different or overlapping functions. Batesteza's wife maintained that they were separate assignments, while another witness linked BBATS' entry to AXXO's exit from the consortium.
The contradiction emerged at the center of the hearing. On one hand, Batesteza's defense sought to differentiate advisory work for Innova from construction supervision for the UTE. On the other hand, the prosecutor emphasized that the signing of the contract between BBATS and the UTE coincided in dates with the modification of the contract between Innova and the UTE itself to provide an external expert advisor in hospital architecture.
Batesteza's wife denied doing the same work for Innova and the UTE
The witness stated that her husband's work for Innova consisted of advice and planning. That work, she said, was recorded in a traceability plan that was delivered to the comptroller of the Reus City Council.
In contrast, she placed the assignment for BBATS UTE Euroconsult in the audit of the Sant Joan Hospital works. During her appearance, she rejected that both tasks were equivalent and summarized it with a blunt phrase.
"It was not the same at all" - wife of Jorge Batesteza, witness at the Audiència de Tarragona
The contract between the UTE Euroconsult Catalunya S.A AXXO Gestión Proyectos and BBATS was formalized on December 30, 2008. Its objective, as stated at the hearing, was to correct an over-sizing of around 30% in the works of the new Reus hospital.
In early 2009, the scope of work increased, and the project began to require responses to changes in deadlines of 24 to 48 hours. This need led to the incorporation of a person in the construction site office provided by Euroconsult.
The witness explained that the modification of the UTE contract served to include the figure of the project manager, a responsibility that fell to Batesteza. She added that another architect supported him and detailed that Galan worked exclusively, which is what Innova wanted.
Regarding the project's progress, he stated that it was a miracle that it was built in three years. He also indicated that Batesteza charged 8,000 euros per month for the contract with Euroconsult and that 6,000 of that amount was used to pay the worker installed in the construction site office of the hospital center.
AXXO maintained that BBATS' entry coincided with its exit from the UTE
The head of AXXO Gestión Proyectos confirmed that his company joined the UTE with Euroconsult to build the new hospital, although it ended up outside the group in the initial phase. He described its functions as those of a project manager, focused on the control and management of the works.
"From the beginning, we realized that we were not welcome by the client" - head of AXXO Gestión Proyectos, witness at the Audiència de Tarragona
During his testimony, he recounted that AXXO sent at least two registered letters to Euroconsult to report that the company was not receiving information about certain decisions and that other important ones were being made without its participation. He also said that it took them a year and a half to sign the contract.
When they left the group, they were paid around 50,000 euros for the work done during that period. In his opinion, the modification of the UTE contract with the incorporation of BBATS allowed Batesteza to take over those functions.
That same witness stated that Batesteza was presented as a client consultant and that he had influence in the client's decision-making. He even maintained that they had no intention of involving AXXO from the beginning and that the company may have been used as a way to achieve the award before bringing in BBATS.
The hearing also addressed the linear accelerator at Jesús-Tortosa
The session was not limited to the Reus hospital. Various heads of the territorial services of the Institut Català de la Salut in Terres de l'Ebre also testified about the installation of a linear accelerator at the Hospital de la Santa Creu Jesús Tortosa to treat cancer patients.
These witnesses specified Carles Manté's involvement in the installation of the equipment within the same mega-trial. The oral hearing will continue next week at the Audiència de Tarragona.