'Tito Berni' and 13 Others Sentenced to Trial in 'Caso Mediador' Corruption Probe

The judge has decided that former deputy **Juan Bernardo Fuentes Curbelo**, known as **'Tito Berni'**, and 13 other individuals, including his nephew and the scheme's mediator, will face trial to answer for crimes such as bribery, fraud, and malfeasance.

## The 'Caso Mediador' Scheme

The judge of Investigating Court number 4 of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has given the green light for the oral trial of **Juan Bernardo Fuentes Curbelo**, the former socialist deputy nicknamed **'Tito Berni'**, and a total of 13 other people. Among those designated to sit on the bench are his nephew, **Taishet Fuentes**, who held the position of Director General of Livestock of the Government of the Canary Islands, and **Marco Antonio Navarro Tacoronte**, the central figure who acted as mediator. The investigation, which covers crimes such as bribery, fraud, embezzlement, malfeasance, and incivil association, focuses on a scheme that, according to the Prosecutor's Office, has been operating since 2021.

## Business and Gifts in Exchange for Favors

The Public Prosecutor's Office maintains that the former deputy, his nephew, and the mediator devised a plan to contact businessmen, mainly from the agricultural, livestock, and renewable energy sectors. In exchange for gifts, bribes, and commissions, they allegedly offered them "significant business opportunities in the private sector", as well as the awarding of public contracts and the obtaining of subsidies. The scheme was geographically concentrated in the Canary Islands archipelago. Judge **María de los Ángeles Lorenzo** has included in her indictment crimes ranging from influence peddling to money laundering.

## Public Officials and Businessmen in the Spotlight

The list of accused is not limited to **'Tito Berni'** and his inner circle. General **Francisco Espinosa Navas** of the Civil Guard will also face trial; the Prosecutor's Office is seeking a two-year prison sentence for him for his alleged collaboration in giving an appearance of legitimacy to the scheme's offers. Furthermore, eight businessmen who allegedly paid the network for benefits face trial, although one of them, **Miguel Ángel Robayna**, could benefit from a mitigating factor for cooperating with justice. The judge has also indicted two public officials, **Álvaro de la Bárcena Argany** and **Estefanía Margarita González Núñez**, for whom disqualification penalties, but not prison sentences, are sought.