• Courts The judge admits the Anti-corruption complaint against Luis Medina and another businessman for earning six million selling masks to the Madrid City Council

  • Anti-corruption They accuse Luis Medina and another businessman of using a cousin of Almeida to earn six million selling masks

  • This is how the commission agents spent the money 12 luxury cars, a yacht and a vacation in Marbella

The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, has appeared this Thursday after the letter from the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor against

Luis Medina and Alberto Luceño

for charging six million euros of commissions in the sale of sanitary material from the City Council.

The first mayor has pointed out that the lack of control of these contracts was due to

"the dramatic situation"

that was experienced during the first state of alarm and has defended the work of the officials because

"they were only guided to obtain material as soon as possible"

.

"Do you think that at that time you could compare prices? Do you really think that the City Council had any interest in paying a surcharge?

The interest was that they arrive as quickly as possible because we were in a jungle

, "said the councilor of the capital, which has also stated that "if that was the sin, it is assumable".

Almeida has also pointed out that "in the past" and "knowing all the information" that has now been made public, those same actions would not be repeated.

"Do not doubt that we would not do it.

Maybe we were wrong, but we were only guided by protecting public servants,

" said the mayor, who has recognized

a contact with Luis Medina

for a donation of 187,000 masks to the City Council as well as two emails from the employer in the General Coordination account of the Mayor's Office on March 18 and 19.

"That is all my contact with this person," added Almeida, who has also charged against the groups on the left that have asked for his resignation and that he provide "solid explanations" for this fact.

"The groups on the left are only interested in grinding meat and mincing a person. We have a beautiful left in Madrid

," said the mayor, who also assured that they are "the same ones" who are not asking for the resignation of Mónica Oltra for the case of child abuse in Valencia or Ada Colau for an alleged case of corruption in Barcelona.

In addition, the complaint filed yesterday by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office against businessmen Luis Medina and Alberto Luceño has been admitted for processing by the Investigating Court No. 47 of Madrid.

In it, the Public Ministry attributes

three crimes of aggravated fraud, false documentation and money laundering

for irregularities in the purchase and sale of medical supplies in March 2020.

According to the court,

the magistrate will take statements from the two defendants and "the necessary witnesses"

to "clarify the facts."

Among them, as the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, assured yesterday, one of them will be the Madrid City Council, which will appear as affected.

In its complaint, the Prosecutor's Office explains that

"a high percentage of the price offered"

for the health products "corresponded to commissions that the defendants were going to receive" through the sale, estimated at up to six million euros.

Specifically, 60% in the case of masks;

81%, in the gloves, and almost 71%, in the tests.

In fact,

the price of the masks was "artificially" inflated according to Anti-Corruption to 148% above the real price

of the product.

In fact, the letter from the Prosecutor's Office accuses both businessmen of

"obtaining an exaggerated and unjustified economic benefit"

with the sale of medical supplies.

Specifically, six million euros, of which one went to the coffers of Medina and five to those of Luceño.

With that money, from the Treasury and Personnel Area for the sale of one million masks, 2.5 million gloves and 750,000 rapid tests,

both businessmen bought a yacht valued at more than 300,000 euros

;

twelve luxury cars, worth two million euros;

and a property in Pozuelo de Alarcón, which cost one million.

Conforms to The Trust Project criteria

Know more

  • Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida