National Court Judge Santiago Pedraz has summoned Belén Gualda, the president of the State Society of Industrial Participations (SEPI), and 24 other people to testify under official investigation. This comes as part of the case probing the mediation of Leire Díez—the PSOE insider—and the Hirurok group (a WhatsApp group formed by Díez; the former president of SEPI, Vicente Fernández; and Navarrese businessman Antxon Alonso, a partner of Santos Cerdán, the former organization secretary of the PSOE) in the €112 million bailout of Tubos Reunidos by the state’s industrial arm during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The suspicious operations are linked to the bailout of Tubos Reunidos, as well as to other dealings involving Mercasa, Enusa, and the Principality of Asturias Business Park—all within the scope of SEPI—and the business group Forestalia, which specializes in the development of renewable energy projects. According to investigators, the Hirurok group pocketed €750,000 in commissions for providing “support” to these companies.
The Government has stated that it maintains “full confidence” in Gualda and her “great work” at the helm of SEPI, from which sources emphasize that “thousands of jobs have been saved” through the bailouts.
