Cristina Cifuentes denies knowing anything about illegal funding and reminds the judge that Pablo Casado was in Fundescam

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Cristina Cifuentes responded Wednesday to the judge and Anticorruption for her alleged participation in the illegal financing of the PP in Madrid. The former president of the Community of Madrid denied having knowledge of this type of financing, in which the judge involves her in two ways: processing false invoices to pay for party expenses and awards in exchange for donations to Fundescam. At this point, when the prosecutor asked about the members of the Board of Trustees of the PP Foundation during a certain period, Cifuentes listed Esperanza Aguirre, Ignacio González, Francisco Granados ... and closed the answer with an addition: «And then he incorporates Pablo Casado ». The current leader of the PP entered as a leader who was of New Generations.

The magistrate instructor of the Punic case, Manuel García Castellón attributes the “participation in the diversion of public funds for the payment of private expenses of the PP of Madrid and electoral expenses that were hidden”, referring to the regional elections of 2007 and 2011 and to the general elections of 2008. The system was that the companies contracted for the campaign issued false invoices to the Community Information Agency, which thereby paid the expenses with public funds. A fact, says the judge, "which because of its relevance could not be foreign" to Cifuentes. The defendant said she was completely oblivious to that.

The indictment added that Cifuentes was in meetings with those responsible for Swat, the main company responsible for generating false invoices. The defendant denied having held meetings that her former Communications Officer said were true. At all times, the researcher explained that her tasks in the campaigns were not of an economic nature, but instead focused on the fact that the attendance at the rallies was due, both in public and in party charges.

Prosecutors also asked him for another way of financing: his maneuvers to award the companies of the researched Arturo Fernández - then president of the Madrid employer's association - the contracts of the cafeteria of the Assembly of Madrid. In return, the entrepreneur made income to the foundation of PP Fundescam "for the surreptitious payment of electoral expenses." Cifuentes alleged that he limited himself to following the technical award criteria and that it was taken into account that the company was already working in places like La Moncloa.

Finally, he clarified that during his Government "no" counsel included in its specifications a clause of 1% of publicity that according to the judge was also redirected to the coffers of the PP. It was supposedly the main source of irregular income. "Since I was president, there were no such clauses." Yes there were in the previous stage of Aguirre. When the prosecutor asked him if he had removed them when he knew they were illegal, the answer was: "I don't put or take off, in my stage there was none."

Cifuentes agreed to respond to the Prosecutor and his own lawyer, but not to other defenses and the popular accusation. Upon leaving the court, he made a few brief statements: «My main participation in the Punic was to appoint the Government of the Community of Madrid as an accusation». The words remind those of Esperanza Aguirre saying that it was she who had denounced the Gürtel case .

The declaration of Cifuentes, scheduled for 5:00 p.m., had to be suspended shortly after starting to verify that, despite being a reserved view, it was being heard in the press room. The technical problem could not be solved - "the only way is to tear off the cables," said the judge -, so it ended up being held in another courtroom.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

• Cristina Cifuentes
• PP
• Madrid's community
• Corruption
• Punic Operation
• National audience

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