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The president of the Parliament of Catalonia, Roger Torrent, prevented the Catalan Anti-Fraud Office (OAC) from investigating the links of the Catalan Ombudsman , Rafael Ribó , with a businessman involved in the 3% corruption plot.

Citizens claimed the Catalan audit body to determine whether Ribó had agreed to travel to the Champions League final that in 2015 faced Barcelona and Juventus in Berlin, invited by Jordi Soler , a builder who, according to the Civil Guard, could have charged commissions for the award of public works in Catalonia during the governments of Convergència.

After registering the complaint of the orange formation on September 23, the Anti-Fraud Office decided to initiate an investigation to "assess the likelihood" of the facts, following the usual procedure. The audit body ended up "giving up and filing" its action on December 20, without having been able to get to the bottom of the matter when its investigation was truncated by decision of the President of the Parliament.

The law establishes that the Catalan Anti-Fraud Office can only investigate the Catalan Ombudsman if the Bureau or the president of the Parliament asks for it. Hence, the director of the Catalan audit body, Miguel Ángel Gimeno , requested that kind of permission from Torrent. Permission that did not obtain and that derived in the file of the investigations against Ribó.

Antifraude gives the action "over"

This is admitted by the director of the Anti-Fraud Office in a letter sent to the complainant, Citizens, and to which EL MUNDO has had access. "I have resolved to terminate and file this action, because from a consultation made to the President of the Parliament it cannot be deduced that he has asked the Anti-Fraud Office to extend his functions on the alleged irregularity denounced," says Gimeno.

Lorena Roldán , the head of the Citizens' ranks in the Parliament, believes that "Torrent has vetoed the Anti-Fraud Office to investigate the possible corruption of the Síndic". On September 16, during an appearance at the Parliament, Ribó "categorically" denied having a relationship with the businessman investigated for the Convergència corruption plot.

The facts that were intended to be clarified by the Catalan Anti-Fraud Office came to light after the Civil Guard found in the mobile phone of Jordi Soler, the businessman investigated, a photograph at the foot of an airplane of the 15 people who would have invited to the final of the Champions League. People among whom are the Síndic or former deputy of Convergence Ramón Camp and his wife Francesca Guardiola , sister of Pep Guardiola, who was then deputy director of Foreign Affairs of the government chaired by Artur Mas.

The investigation

The Civil Guard maintains in a report sent to the National Court that the builder investigated paid the trip to Ribó and other assistants to the final of the Champions League to "obtain some capacity to influence" on those charges and achieve "favorable treatment" of the "public and political authorities".

After 15 years in office, with the mandate expired since March 2019 and 129,000 euros of salary through, the defender of the Catalan people squeezes their days of service overturned in supporting the secessionist cause.

One of his most famous contributions came when he blamed the patients of other communities that are operated in Catalonia for waiting lists in Catalan public health. In March he agreed to participate in the Torra sainete on account of the withdrawal of the yellow ribbon from the facade of the Palau de la Generalitat.

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  • Citizens
  • Civil Guard
  • Catalonia
  • Roger Torrent
  • Pep Guardiola
  • Lorena Roldan
  • Artur Mas

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