The European Public Prosecutor's Office assumes the investigation of the general of the 'Mediator case' for the use of EU funds

The European Public Prosecutor's Office is going to take charge of the part of the Mediator case related to the former General of the Civil Guard Francisco Espinosa Navas related to the possible illegalities in the contracts linked to the EU project Gar-Si Sahel.

This has been agreed by the incumbent Investigating Court number 4 of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which has issued a warrant in favor of the European Prosecutor's Office given the possibility that the former general had participated in irregular adjudications in the security project of the EU in the Sahel, which the division general came to lead.

The Tenerife judge had requested the opinion of the European Prosecutor's Office in this regard, which had responded by demanding the investigation of this part of the case as the EU defense project was financed by the European Commission and managed by the International and Ibero-American Foundation of Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), to which the EU entrusted the management of the project in the Sahel (Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad and Senegal).

In an order notified this Monday, the instructor agrees to “make the proceedings available” to the European Prosecutor's Office, as well as to the general himself, currently in preventive detention. This is the only person investigated for whom the judge ordered preventive detention, a precautionary measure agreed to prevent it from interfering in the initial investigations, but which has already been for two months.

From now on it will be the European Public Prosecutor's Office that directs the investigation of this part of the case, instead of an investigating judge. The decisions that affect limitations of rights -such as the prison situation of the general- or the resources will be reviewed by one of the investigating magistrates of the National Court, who will thus exercise the figure of the so-called guarantee judge.

The actions sent to the Community Office of the Public Ministry also refer to the participation of the businessman José Suárez Estévez, alias the Drones. Investigators believe he may also be involved in criminal activity related to these community fund contracts.