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Diari de Catalunya

Innova Case Trial Begins in Tarragona with 8 Accused and Prison Sentences Sought

The judicial process, starting fourteen years after the case broke, focuses on alleged irregularities in the construction of the Sant Joan Hospital in Reus.

Generic image of a judge's gavel on a wooden desk in a courtroom.
IA

Generic image of a judge's gavel on a wooden desk in a courtroom.

The trial of the Innova case has commenced at the Audiencia de Tarragona, fourteen years after the investigation began, with eight individuals accused of alleged irregularities in the construction of the Sant Joan Hospital in Reus.

The judicial process, which started this Monday with preliminary questions, focuses on the main part of the case, merged with piece 2, investigating alleged anomalies in the construction of the hospital, inaugurated in 2010 with an investment of 170 million euros.
The Prosecutor's Office is seeking sentences of 10 years in prison, 20 years of disqualification from public office, and a fine of 200,000 euros for some of the accused. Among those named are the former president of the Catalan Health Institute and former director of Innova, as well as the former socialist mayor of Reus and CEO of Innova.
The indictment from the Prosecutor's Office indicates that two former CatSalut executives created private companies after being dismissed from their respective public positions. They are accused of having irregularly received contracts from Innova to conduct advisory studies for the hospital's construction, services that, according to the accusation, could not be justified. These contracts, valued at over one million euros, were signed by various officials, including the aforementioned former executives.
During the preliminary questions, a preliminary agreement was announced between the Prosecutor's Office and the defenses of two of the accused, a former Innova executive and a former CatSalut infrastructure manager. The details of this agreement, which foresees a significant reduction in sentences, will be made public with the start of the oral trial on May 26. The situation of the remaining accused is pending, as the defenses of other involved parties have criticized the proceedings and requested the nullity of the evidence.
Innova was a holding company created in the early 2000s by the Reus City Council, which grouped together about twenty municipal companies and managed the city's hospital, eventually controlling 70% of the municipal budget. Over time, the conglomerate expanded its management to other hospitals. Suspicions about its management led to complaints from political parties and a judicial investigation that erupted with the first arrests in 2013. The case generated sixteen separate pieces, although most have eventually been archived over time.

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