First Phase of the “Mediator Case” Ends with Three Bribery Convictions

The Jury Considers It “Obvious” That Espinosa Navas Belonged to the Civil Guard

The jury trial of the first phase of the “Mediator case,” held over five days at the Provincial Court of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, found retired Civil Guard general Francisco Espinosa, businessman Antonio Bautista, and intermediary Marco Antonio Navarro Tacoronte guilty of bribery.

The verdict, read on Thursday night after more than 24 hours of deliberation, emphasized that a “pattern of conduct” was followed in a payment scheme designed to help Bautista’s company win solar‑energy contracts in the islands, and noted a “correlation” between cash withdrawals and meetings.

“It is evident that Espinosa Navas belonged to the Civil Guard even though, at the time of the facts, he was in the special‑services category,” the jury stated.
He received salary payments from the armed institution, worked for the public agency FIIAPP on a Sahel project, and even identified himself on his business card as a Civil Guard general.

The jury also highlighted that Espinosa did not provide business contacts “free of charge,” because “he was not a friend” of Bautista, and saw a direct link between the “gifts” he received and the progress of the business projects.

“The gifts make no sense if there is no illicit intent,” the jurors argued, whether for economic gain or for a future career in Bautista’s company after retirement. Their conclusion was supported by a recording in which both Navarro and Bautista discuss bribes.

The jury opposed any request for a pardon and, regarding suspension of the sentence, supported it only in Bautista’s case.

The Anti‑Corruption Prosecutor’s Office maintains a request for a one‑year prison term. Although it deemed it “premature” to decide on suspension, it does not oppose suspension for Bautista, while arguing there are “no reasons” to grant it to the mediator given his “criminal record and dangerousness,” noting that he is also implicated in other phases of the case that carry higher penalty requests.

Bautista’s defense has asked to reduce his sentence to nine months, to keep the general’s term at the minimum required—considering he has already served time—and to set the mediator’s term at five months and fifteen days, while also seeking suspension of his conviction because his criminal record is practically cleared and other phases of the case remain pending.