The Investigating Court number 16 of Seville has prosecuted the former leader of vox in Andalusia Francisco Serrano and his two ex-partners for their participation in a possible crime of subsidy fraud and another of fraud, in reference to a help of 2.5 million that he received from the Ministry of Industry, called Reindus loan. The judge considers that there are “sufficient reasons” to attribute these crimes to the three defendants.
The magistrate’s order affirms that Serrano and his ex-partners Enrique Pelegrín and Francisco Javier López were arranged in 2016 to obtain, “without having due solvency”, a loan of almost 2.5 million for the construction of a pellet factory, Biowood, in the Huelva town of Niebla, but this amount was used for different purposes.
Serrano left Vox after the prosecution will file a complaint against him in 2020 for this alleged fraud. In the statements after his resignation, he assured: “I have not appropriated a single cent of public money and, as it cannot be otherwise, throughout the investigation process that is beginning, it will be proven, without a doubt, my innocence”.
The investigation began after a complaint by the Secretary General of facuaRubén Sánchez, before the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) of the National Police.
Biowood is not built
The judge has noted that the defendants set up the company because they knew the importance it has to offer before the Ministry of Industry “an image of solvency”, but the company did not conform to reality, and included “non-real own funds” that facilitated access to the subsidy.
Of the 2,489,000 euros paid by the Ministry of Industry for the installation of biowoodonly the figure of 654,851 euros corresponds, since only the main warehouse and the office building have been executed, according to the report of the City hall of the locality
He paid the debts of the rest of his companies
The judge points out that once he received the help “it was no longer necessary to maintain the appearance” and in the following days Expenses “for purposes not included” begin in the schedule. Among them, the payment of debts of Serrano’s companies, such as those of his company Serrano Lawyers.
An example of this is various transfers to the employer Manuel Gavira Gomez“a client of Serrano Abogados who was in need of financing and to whom Biowood decided to make a loan with the funds” received from the state, the order states.
Another 1.3 million euros would have been allocated to the “constitution of a Investment fundIn addition, loans were made to Francisco Serrano companies such as XYZ Communications, Serrano Abogados and Serralba, with 24,180 euros. Biowood also “endorsed XYZ against Ibercaja in a loan that, when not repaid, is paid by Biowood with the amount of the Reindus loan”.
On the other hand, the judge has filed the case against a notary who participated in the operation to receive the subsidy, since “the commission of any crime is not duly justified”.
