Alicante Provincial Court Clears 13 Defendants in Waste Plan Case
The Seventh Section of the Alicante Provincial Court has acquitted all 13 defendants in a separate part of the “Brugal Case.” The case involved allegations of irregularities in the processing and awarding of the Waste Plan for Zone XVII in 2008.
Among those acquitted were the former president of the Alicante Provincial Council, José Joaquín Ripoll, and the former mayor of Orihuela, Mónica Lorente. The trial for these events took place over 42 daily sessions between November 2, 2021, and June 22, 2022.
The Court concluded that there was no proof of an agreement among the defendants to manipulate the decisions of the board or of any defendant offering or accepting gifts to obtain a favourable resolution. Additionally, the judges found no evidence that the accused influenced or attempted to influence members of the Vega Baja Waste Consortium or revealed confidential information.
The Court rejected requests to annul various evidentiary proceedings and resolutions issued during the investigation, citing a recent Supreme Court ruling that validated similar evidence in another aspect of the Brugal case.
The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office had maintained that the accused conspired to rig the award of the Vega Baja Zonal Waste Plan and the location of the waste treatment plant through an agreement between two businessmen. However, the Court determined that all decisions adopted by the Waste Consortium were collegial and its members voted freely.
The judges also dismissed the notion that trips taken by José Joaquín Ripoll and his wife on Enrique Ortiz’s yacht were intended to influence his conduct as the president of the Provincial Council.
Regarding the change of location for the landfill, the Court noted that it was motivated by public response and approved by the Consortium in the interest of the general public.
The judgment, which is 258 pages long, is not final and can be appealed to the Supreme Court.
