The Public Prosecutor's Office has taken a significant step in the case known as the Mediator Case, setting prison term requests for several defendants. 13 years in prison are requested for Marco Antonio Navarro Tacoronte, identified as the mediator; 11 years for Taishet Fuentes Gutiérrez, former Director General of Livestock of the Government of the Canary Islands; 8 years for former socialist deputy Juan Bernardo Fuentes Curbelo, known as Tito Berni; and 2 years for Division General of the Civil Guard Francisco Espinosa Navas. The prosecution believes they were part of a corrupt scheme that used public positions, contacts, and influence to attract businessmen and illicitly obtain financial benefits.
The indictment, dated June 17 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and addressed to Investigating Court number 4 of the aforementioned capital, requests the opening of oral proceedings and formally accuses 16 out of the 23 individuals processed in the main piece of the case. According to the fiscal document, the core of the alleged network operated between mid-2020 and mid-2021.
The Prosecutor's Office maintains that Navarro Tacoronte, Taishet Fuentes, and Juan Bernardo Fuentes designed a "criminal plan" aimed at obtaining illicit economic benefits. The mechanism involved attracting businessmen, particularly from sectors such as agriculture, livestock, and renewable energy, by offering them, in exchange for gifts and commissions, access to public contracts, subsidies, key contacts, or private business deals.
Navarro Tacoronte is identified as the network's main recruiter and link, locating businessmen, making contacts, and channeling payments, in addition to being attributed the use of fictitious invoices. However, the indictment emphasizes the crucial role of the other involved parties in building trust. The institutional position of Juan Bernardo Fuentes Curbelo, then a socialist deputy, allegedly lent credibility, facilitating organized visits to the Congress of Deputies for recruited businessmen, projecting an image of real influence.
Taishet Fuentes, from his position as Director General of Livestock of the Canarian Government, allegedly used his role to gather information, identify businessmen, facilitate meetings, and access administrative files, offering a supposed privileged channel to resolve procedures. Retired Civil Guard General Francisco Espinosa Navas is also included in the intermediation dynamic, reportedly contacted by Navarro Tacoronte to attract businessmen interested in renewable energy projects and opportunities linked to Africa.
Conversations extracted from mobile phones seized reveal messages, photographs, and references to meetings held in restaurants and entertainment venues where agreements were allegedly closed and favors requested. The indictment mentions payments for meals, hotels, trips, and prostitution services as part of the gifts allegedly received by some of the implicated individuals. A separate piece previously resulted in a conviction for bribery for the mediator, the former general, and a businessman from the wind energy sector.
