Seen for sentencing the trial against DEFEX for possible illegal commissions to authorities in contracts with Cameroon

MADRID, 23 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The trial that has been held in the National Court against DEFEX, its former commercial director Manuel Iglesias and several subcontractors and managers of these for an alleged contracting and billing carried out to obtain public contracts in Cameroon through the payment of illegal commissions to authorities and officials , has been seen this Monday for sentencing after the resignation of the defendants to the use of the last word.

During the sessions held, the defendants have flatly rejected the thesis of the Public Prosecutor's Office and have denied these gifts to officials of the African country. They were accused of alleged crimes of corruption in international commercial transactions, embezzlement of public funds, money laundering and document falsification in this piece of the so-called 'Defex case', which has pending the holding of other trials for corrupt practices in Angola or Saudi Arabia .

During the day of this Monday the defendants --Manuel Iglesias, Óscar López (Aresa) and Francisco Luque (Deimos)-- have refused to use the last word, for which the court has concluded and seen this trial for sentencing which, as a curiosity, has been the last of former Justice Minister Juan Carlos Campo as a magistrate of the National Court, given his incorporation as a magistrate of the Constitutional Court.

This Monday, the hearing began with the continuation of the defense reports. The first of these has been that of the lawyer from the Deimos company, subcontracted by DEFEX to carry out work in Cameroon, who has indicated that the evidence during the trial has dismantled the arguments of the prosecution because the existence of bribes or gifts has not been proven. officials and there has been no injury to free competition.

In addition, it has added that the contracts signed by Deimos were not simulated and adds that they did not obtain an undue benefit or advantage. In line, he has also denied that there was money laundering, and recalled that it was not about Spanish public funds but Cameroonian funds, perfectly lawful. And he has pointed out that the payments they made to the company of the intermediary Philippe Bourcier were also lawful.

For its part, the defense of the company Aresa has stressed that there is no act that could constitute a crime on the part of this company or its president Óscar López. In his opinion, it has been demonstrated throughout the sessions that they fulfilled the obligations of the contract with DEFEX on time, in a proper manner and to the satisfaction of the client.

In line, and regarding the hiring of the companies of the intermediary Bourcier --who allegedly would have been responsible for making fraudulent payments to officials--, he pointed out that since Aresa had never worked on Cameroonian soil, it was necessary to work with local support.

And he added that Bourcier, as a trusted DEFEX agent since 1999, was recommended by the arms industry and thus had good references, in addition to having full knowledge of the obligations to be executed in Cameroon.