The former driver of the Board is sentenced to more than four years in prison for buying cocaine with funds from the ERE

Juan Francisco Trujillo, who was the driver of Javier Guerrero, general director of Labor of the Junta de Andalucía, has been sentenced to four years and nine months in prison for allocating funds from the ERE subsidies to “satisfy particular interests such as the purchase of real estate", to "fraudulently" subscribe insurance policies in the name of his own mother, in addition to the "payment of private needs" of Guerrero - now deceased -, such as drinks in restaurants, leisure establishments and supply of cocaine , in accordance with the sentence issued by the Court of Seville.

The court condemns Trujillo as the author of the crimes of prevarication, embezzlement of public funds and falsification of documents in a separate piece of the case of the ERE of Andalusia.

The diversion of funds for cocaine consumption was considered the example that best illustrated the lack of control and apparent impunity with which subsidies originally designed to quickly resolve the massive layoffs resulting from the industrial crises suffered by the Andalusian community were used. .

In the oral trial at the beginning of this year, Trujillo confirmed that he spent part of the 900,000 euros that he received from those public funds on parties, cocaine and an apartment and several pieces of land.

The former driver also acknowledged having taken out an insurance policy in the name of his mother and having established three commercial companies through which he received 1,350,000 euros in public aid.

The fact that the oral trial took place six years after the investigation ended has allowed Trujillo to benefit, as is happening with many responsible parties judged in separate parts of the ERE case, from a very qualified mitigating circumstance of undue delays.

The magistrates also acquitted him of the crime of influence peddling because it has not been possible to “successfully define a situation of influence of the accused” over Guerrero that would allow it to fit in with his criminal classification.

According to the ruling, it is considered proven that in 2003, “with the intention of self-enrichment,” the then Director of Labor “entered into an agreement” with Trujillo “in order to establish commercial companies with the intention of receiving amounts from aid that would be granted.” to finance alleged investment activities that came from public funds of Andalusia, disregarding the legally established procedure.”

These are three companies that received 1,350 million euros (450,000 each), the same amount that the court has imposed as civil liability must be paid to the Junta de Andalucía.

The magistrates also consider it proven that Trujillo gave his wife 24,000 euros to buy the marital home, an amount that came from the sale of a property that the former driver had acquired thanks to aid granted irregularly by Guerrero.

The wife of the former driver must also return that amount to the Board in solidarity with her husband and with two other businessmen who have also been convicted in this case with whom both Trujillo and Guerrero conspired to defraud part of the public funds under the appearance of investing in a poultry farm and to take out the policy in the name of Trujillo's mother, respectively.

Moreno is not in favor of pardoning convicted senior officials

The Provincial Court transferred to the Junta de Andalucía an order so that "as an injured party, it can issue its opinion on the request for pardon" of the eight former senior officials of the Junta sentenced to prison terms in the so-called political piece of the ERE .

The Andalusian administration has insisted in recent days that the court had not asked it for a position on the grace measure but rather to "report on the situation in which it is currently found as a victim of the case, such as it could be, for example, if the damage caused to the public coffers has been recovered”, according to sources from the Andalusian Government.

And in that sense, the document that the legal services of the Board have sent to the magistrates has been drafted, as reported by the same sources: “The only thing that can be stated by this Administration, considering its exclusive condition as aggrieved, regarding the petition of pardon requested is that to date it has not yet been compensated by those who have been convicted," the letter states, in which it is recalled that "the Junta de Andalucía is carrying out all types of actions to recover what was defrauded." ", using all possible legal avenues."

The regional administration estimates the economic damage caused by the ERE fraud at 679,412,179 euros.

The Andalusian president, Juan Manuel Moreno, has been clearer, who this morning assured that his Government is not in favor of pardons "and even less so of those convicted of corruption."

The popular leader has emphasized that we must distinguish between the health reasons of a convicted person, for which judges can postpone a prison sentence, as has happened with former president José Antonio Griñán, and a pardon for a conviction for corruption. , "which is a measure of grace that corresponds to the Government of Spain and with which the Government of Andalusia does not agree."

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