The Civil Guard says that the former head of the Ávila Command requested, authorized and paid for works before they were carried out

Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Alonso Rodríguez distances himself from a request for 120,000 euros for not having his handwritten signature

MADRID, 15 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Internal Affairs Service of the Civil Guard assures in one of the reports provided to the so-called 'barracks case' -in which alleged irregularities in the awarding of works are investigated in at least 13 commanderies of the Benemérita- that the former head of Ávila Command, Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Alonso Rodríguez, requested, authorized and ordered to pay for several works before they were carried out.

In the report, to which Europa Press has had access, the investigators emphasize that Alonso Rodríguez "on the same day" and "with little time difference" requested, authorized and ordered the payment of various invoices issued by companies belonging to Ángel Ramón Tejera de León , alias 'Mon', who also appears as being investigated in the procedure, for work in various barracks in the province of Ávila.

"The painting needs of the different territorial units were requested, the works were authorized in 12 of their barracks, the corresponding invoices were filled out accordingly (...) and the payment order was issued even when it was materially impossible for them to the invoiced and collected works would have been executed", specifies Internal Affairs in the document signed in August 2019.

The report refers to six invoices issued by Angrasurcor and six by Solocorcho, both companies managed by 'Mon', for a combined amount of 51,616.18 euros. And aside, it stresses that these "were processed in accordance by the lieutenant colonel --sending the corresponding payment order-- before the work needs of the different affected barracks were communicated, and prior to the billed jobs started.

This attestation was provided in 2019 to the procedure when it was still in charge of the Investigating Court Number 2 of Ávila. In 2021 the case passed into the hands of the Investigating Court Number 3 of Madrid, where they have been waiting for eight months for an expert report on the works carried out in 13 commanderies of the Benemérita.

Also in 2019, Internal Services drafted another statement in which reference is made to other invoices issued by Solocorcho that "are from a date prior to the effective completion of the work." As emphasized in said text, Alonso Rodríguez certified the conformity of said works "on the same day the invoices were issued, therefore, prior to said works being carried out."

In addition, the investigators emphasize that in some cases the lieutenant colonel agreed to "accept" and "pay" approximately "35 minutes after notifying the affected unit that the work was authorized to be carried out at its official premises."

In his statement of June 12, 2019, collected in one of the statements of the summary, Alonso Rodríguez indicated that Lieutenant General Pedro Vázquez Jarava, then deputy director general of support of the Civil Guard, was the one who recommended 'Mon' and gave him He insisted that work should be done to "improve the life" of the agents of the Corps.

In relation to the invoicing for painting works in 26 barracks in the province of Ávila at the end of 2016, Alonso Rodríguez argued: "When he decentralized us the 120,000 euros, he (Vázquez Jarava) said it was for painting. He recommended me again to this builder (Ángel Ramón Tejera de León) for having the capacity to carry out many actions simultaneously throughout the province and in a short period of time, which was adequate to carry out this conditioning and improvement of life of my guards in a timely manner and from the barracks".

The researchers point out that, despite the foregoing, from a document entitled 'Status report and proposals for works' with regard to the Ávila Command --sent to areas of the Civil Guard of Castilla y León by email dated 18 January 2016 with the pre-signature of Alonso Rodríguez-- it can be seen that none of the proposed improvements is observed that is apparently related to the painting works invoiced at the end of 2016 by the aforementioned companies.

According to Internal Affairs, Alonso Rodríguez alleged that he used to "authorize all emails with his handwritten signature" before sending them, for which he distanced himself from an email with his pre-signature sent to the Quartering Service of the General Directorate of the Civil Guard in which requested an increase in credit of 120,000 euros to the budget concept for the conditioning of 29 rooms of doors and official dependencies of the different barracks of the province.

For Internal Affairs, "this explanation of the lieutenant colonel (...) contradicts what was stated" by other commanders of the Benemérita who assured that Alonso Rodríguez "authorized the emails addressed to the different units and organizations verbally."

According to the researchers, the lack of need for these paint jobs was also revealed in the reply from the companies from Arenas de San Pedro, Ávila, Cebreros and Piedrahita to the email, dated October 3, 2016, with the antesignature of lieutenant colonel Carlos Alonso Rodríguez.

In said email, the researcher requested spending needs that had maintenance, repairs and conservation in buildings and other constructions, which were apparently unrelated to the general painting works invoiced at the end of 2016 by said companies.

In turn, there are statements --as witnesses-- of post commanders (from various barracks) who told Internal Affairs that, from their point of view and for different reasons --being in good condition, having undergone recent reforms , among others--, the painting works invoiced in said barracks were not necessary.

According to witnesses, Alonso Rodríguez went as far as to say that the company that was going to undertake the works had to go through all the barracks to paint some dependency in such a way that it would be clear that they had been in those barracks.

Internal Affairs figures the amount of the works awarded between 2008 and 2019 by at least 13 commands of the Benemérita to the companies managed by 'Mon' at 3.3 million euros, despite stating that some of them were not executed or were carried out partially, "what could be constitutive of the crimes of falsification of an official document, falsification of a commercial document and embezzlement".