Ignacio González denies offences in his first trial over the Lezo case
The former Madrid president takes the stand after ten years of investigation into alleged rigging of contracts for the Canal de Isabel II golf course.
First trial against Ignacio González for corruption begins
Almost a decade after his arrest and remand in custody, Ignacio González appeared on Tuesday before the National Court to face his first corruption trial in the Lezo case. According to El País, the former president of the Madrid regional government denied during the initial hearing that he had committed the offences with which he is charged: manipulation of contracts for the construction and maintenance of the Canal de Isabel II golf course.
Judge Fernando Andreu, president of the tribunal, directly questioned the defendant about his responsibility in the facts. "Do you acknowledge authorship of the facts and commission of the offences?" he asked. González replied simply, "No".
Tuesday's session was limited to procedural matters. The tribunal rejected a motion presented by one of the defendants to remove Madrid City Council as a private prosecutor, given that the Council is a shareholder of Canal de Isabel II. The judges disposed of various administrative matters in barely 13 minutes and summoned the parties again for the following Monday.
The Anti-Corruption Prosecution is requesting six years' imprisonment for bribery for five people, including González. Also accused are his brother Pablo Manuel González, his brother-in-law José Juan Caballero, José Antonio Clemente (a business partner of these relatives) and Ildefonso de Miguel, former managing director of the Canal. Investigators argue that the five conspired from positions of power within the Canal to favour the defendant's political family members through subcontracting to TCT, a company owned by the former president's brother and brother-in-law.
The court file details how, in 2004, González used his authority as vice-president of the regional government and president of the Canal to irregularly award two contracts for the benefit of the company, which acted as an unnecessary intermediary. Investigating judge Manuel García-Castellón noted that TCT obtained profits exceeding half a million euros in dealings with public funds.
Investigators identified additional fraud schemes: invoicing through "shell companies" for fictitious services and transfers involving illicit money. García-Castellón pointed out that part of the funds obtained allegedly ended up in the hands of the PP politician.
González faces two additional trials scheduled for 2027. In one of them, the alleged purchase at inflated price of a Brazilian company, Emissao, between 2012 and 2013 is being investigated. The other addresses an alleged bribe of 1.8 million euros to award the Navalcarnero train project to OHL for 360 million. The Prosecution is demanding 12 additional years' imprisonment for these two lines of investigation.
Procedural delay has opened the door to sentence reductions. In another concluded Lezo case, the Prosecution requested a reduction for undue delay. The delay has caused an investigative blow: a key expert from the General Audit Office of the Administration has died and will not appear in future hearings.
The Canal de Isabel II golf course case, originally designed by González's predecessor Esperanza Aguirre, was dismantled in 2021 following intense neighbourhood mobilisation. The oral hearing on this first case will continue in successive sessions.
Source: El País