New Key Witnesses in Sánchez's Brother Case Testify Before the Judge

The case of Sánchez's brother faces a new day of statements despite David Sánchez's resignation.

Judge Beatriz Biedma is investigating the case related to the brother of the Prime Minister and his employment connection with the Legislature de Badajoz. This Friday, she has summoned, again behind closed doors, six new witnesses as part of the investigation phase.

This is the fourth round of statements that occurs just 48 hours after David Sánchez submitted his resignation as head of the Performing Arts Office.

Although the defense hoped that this resignation would end the investigation, the order issued last week by the magistrate confirms the indictment of the accused. Among them are nine senior officials of the Legislature, including Sánchez himself. But also the president of the provincial institution, Miguel Ángel Gallardo, who also holds the position of secretary general of the PSOE of Extremadura.

The investigation, which began at the end of May, focuses on alleged crimes against the Public Administration, such as embezzlement, misappropriation of public funds, and influence peddling. Additionally, the judge has ordered the expansion of proceedings and requested new evidence from the UCO.

Among them is the recovery of deleted emails from the account of Yolanda Vázquez, director of the Juan Vázquez Conservatory.

The witnesses' statements began at 9:30 a.m. Among those summoned is one of the eleven applicants for the position of coordinator of musical activities in the conservatories.

The name of Nersés Avakymyán, a violin teacher at the Juan Vázquez Conservatory, stands out.

In a previous order, the magistrate expressed her surprise at the fact that the selection process was not suspended. Although one of the candidates didn't meet the requirements to apply for the position. According to Biedma, the procedure advanced quickly, with the purpose of awarding the position without delays and thus avoiding the possibility of the affected parties filing appeals.

However, once the winner's name was released, no applicant challenged the resolution. According to the investigations, several of them concluded that, after knowing the selected candidate, their chances were slim. Likewise, the judge noted that the call's terms didn't specify the evaluation criteria for the tests conducted.

The key statement in the case of Sánchez's brother that could finalize the accusation

It is about the former secretary general of Podemos in Extremadura, Álvaro Jaén Barbado. The current councilor in the Cáceres City Council will have to testify as a witness on February 13.

Now, this statement could be key to finalizing several statements and accusations about various corruption offenses against Sánchez's brother.

According to the UCO, Jaén Barbado "reported on 3-7-2017 the creation of a Senior Management position subject to the present proceedings." This statement could represent a radical turn in the case, as he himself reported the creation of the position on July 3, 2017. Furthermore, he reported it in the Assembly of Extremadura.

Such were the suspicions of the former secretary of Podemos that he requested information about several documents. However, in that request, he also pointed out that the Extremadura community seemed "like a placement agency for friends."

The former secretary who reported "the placement of friends" in Extremadura will testify in the case of Sánchez's brother | Social media

In fact, some local media echoed the news published by a news agency. Well, that newswire was sent by an employee of the Legislature "whose position is unknown" to Cristina Núñez, who was the deputy delegate of Culture.

The former secretary's complaint put the spotlight on what was happening with Sánchez's brother, and now it can be lethal. Jaén Barbado, as a witness, must tell the truth. And he must answer whether at that time he suspected favoritism in the hiring of Sánchez's brother.