New legal proceedings focus on agendas, internal minutes and meeting recordings related to the management of the domain transformatsc.org and the activities of the Chair of Complutense Social Transformation of the Complutense University of Madrid. According to Europa Press, the head of the Instructional Court No. 41 of Madrid, Juan Carlos Peinado, has asked Deloitte and other companies involved to provide this documentation in detail in order to deepen the judicial process that is investigating possible irregularities in contracts, the provision of services and the university management related to this chair.
According to Europa Press, three senior Deloitte officials will appear as witnesses before the judge on Monday: the president of Deloitte Spain, Héctor Flórez, and the directors Juan Pedro Gravel and Carmen Sánchez. The aim of these appearances is to create clarity about the nature and extent of the collaboration between the consulting company and the chair of Begoña Gómez, the wife of the government president. The court case, known as the “Begoña Gómez case”, puts to test both the relationship between the advisor and the academic sector and the internal functioning of the university department.
According to Europa Press, the document submitted to the court by Deloitte states that the company limited itself to providing support and advice on management issues. The consulting company assured that it was not involved in the creation or maintenance of the software examined and that it had no access to executable files, repositories or the central source code of the academic system surveyed. This statement is in response to the judge’s request for technical information seeking to limit the role of each party in the development or use of the digital application whose use is the subject of the proceedings.
The court not only sought to clarify Deloitte’s role, but also ordered other companies related to the university environment to provide internal records, minutes and documentation of agreements and meetings made. The purpose is to determine the nature and level of participation of all private organizations that have collaborated with the Chair of Competitive Social Transformation and, in particular, with the academic programs led by Gómez, according to Europa Press.
According to Europa Press, the people’s accused involved in the case called for minutes and internal agendas to be drawn up to substantiate the evidence and prepare for the possible start of a hearing. These legal proceedings will also examine contracts and the determination of resources allocated to the software used on the digital platform. This is aimed at small and medium-sized companies, whose management is one of the main focuses of the study.
The court case analyzes four main strands: the suspicion of influence in favor of the businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés; the operation of the “Competitive Social Transformation” chair and two master’s programs under the direction of Begoña Gómez; the possibility of misuse of software related to the academic environment; and the appointment of Cristina Álvarez, currently a consultant in Moncloa, who is also under investigation for business and academic activities that may be subject to judicial review.
Europa Press reported that Begoña Gómez is under investigation for five alleged crimes: influence peddling, corporate corruption, trademark misappropriation, improper exercise of professional functions and embezzlement. The procedure, led by Judge Peinado, aims to clarify the degree of connection between the various actors involved and to determine whether any irregularities have occurred in the contracts, the provision of services and the use of the application under review.
The technical documentation submitted by Deloitte highlights the absence of materials such as executables, deliverables, repositories and source code. This highlights that the company’s work was limited to consulting and not to the technical implementation of the system, which prevents the company from meeting the information needs related to the development of the digital product.
Europa Press stated that recent measures in the case included the review of contracts, the study of protocols and the calling of witnesses with leadership positions as witnesses, all as part of the judicial strategy aimed at clarifying responsibilities and verifying the existence of crimes. The court continues to receive documents from both Deloitte and other companies involved and has new appearances on the agenda to analyze the relationship between the private sector and the university’s academic management.
The research is particularly concerned with the possible connections between academia, business and public administration and attempts to reconstruct the sequence of decisions, contracts and collective actions. Europa Press noted that the presence of Deloitte’s top executives as witnesses before Judge Peinado represents a relevant advance in the summary process. The coming weeks, according to the same source, will be crucial for the final formulation of the charges and the delineation of responsibilities arising from the events, contracts and services under investigation.
About The Author
