The Court of Tarragona is trying the Innova case since this Monday for alleged irregularities in the construction of the Sant Joan de Reus Hospital, a case that begins fourteen years after its initiation and puts eight defendants on the bench, including former mayor Lluís Miquel Pérez and former Innova CEO Josep Prat.
The delay coexists with a request for high penalties by the Prosecutor's Office, which claims between seven and ten years in prison for prevarication, embezzlement of public funds, document forgery, and influence peddling in contracts linked to a municipal company with entirely public capital.
The Prosecutor's Office requests up to ten years for contracts signed for the Reus hospital
Among the accused are also the former director of CatSalut Carles Manté, the architect Jorge Batesteza, Innova workers Natalia Torrell and Ester Ventura, worker Jose Vicente Gómez and Sergi Luqui, representative of the UTE Euroconsults Catalunya AXXO Gestión Proyectos.
On May 11, the preliminary issues will begin in the Court of Tarragona.
The Prosecutor's Office requests eight years in prison and absolute disqualification for 20 years for Pérez, Prat, Manté, and Batesteza. In addition, it requests a fine of 200,000 euros for the former mayor of Reus for a crime of influence peddling.
For Natalia Torrell, Ester Ventura and Jose Vicente Gómez, he claims seven years in prison and absolute disqualification for 15 years. In the case of Sergi Luqui, the request is for seven years in jail and 12 years of disqualification.
Innova signed contracts in 2007 and maintained assignments after dismissals at CatSalut
The municipal company Innova was incorporated on March 27, 2002, with entirely public capital and, by that condition, was subject to the Law on Contracts for Public Administrations. Within that framework, the contracts to draft the project, direct and execute the works of the hospital, and act as Project Manager were awarded to the UTE Euroconsults Catalunya AXXO Gestión Proyectos.
The contracts were signed on March 12, 2007.
That day Lluís Miquel Pérez and Sergi Luqui signed the documentation. The public prosecutor's office also places Carles Manté and Jorge Batesteza in the case for contracts made after their departure from positions linked to the public health sector.
Manté billed Innova 720,120.82 euros plus VAT through CCM Estratègies i Salut, SL, without following, always according to the Prosecutor's Office, the legal public procurement procedure or providing the progress reports required.
Regarding that contract, the public prosecutor's office maintains that it was awarded with a total and absolute omission of the established legal procedure. In parallel, it attributes three contracts with Innova to Batesteza after his dismissal as manager of Infrastructures of the CatSalut.
Batesteza collected 387,000 euros plus 8,954.51 euros in travel expenses.
The Prosecutor's Office also puts at least 186,400 euros the overcost for the public coffers derived from all contracts attributed to the architect.
The prosecution claims two refunds from Innova for 720,120.82 and 186,400 euros
The public prosecutor's office's brief adds that Lluís Pérez, Carles Manté, and Jorge Batesteza agreed with an undetermined person from the Department of Health that they would maintain the same level of income after leaving their positions. That statement is part of the accusatory basis on which the trial will begin.
In the economic claim, the Prosecutor's Office demands from Pérez, Prat, Torrell, Ventura and Manté the joint payment of 720,120.82 euros to Innova. From Pérez, Prat, Batesteza, Gómez and Luqui, it jointly demands another 186,400 euros.
BBATS Consulting Projects SLP appears in the case as subsidiarily liable for that second amount of 186,400 euros.