Navarro Tacoronte Sentenced to 4½ Months in Jail in First “Mediator” Case Hearing

The popular jury found all three defendants guilty of a bribery scheme.

The Provincial Court of Santa Cruz de Tenerife sentenced retired Civil Guard general Francisco Espinosa, photovoltaic‑energy entrepreneur Antonio Bautista, and intermediary Marco Antonio Navarro Tacoronte for the crime of continuous bribery in the opening phase of the “Mediator” case.

• General Espinosa (who was serving in special duties) – 9 months in prison, suspended for two years on the condition of not committing any further offenses.
• Entrepreneur Bautista – 9 months in prison, also suspended for two years under the same condition.
• Navarro Tacoronte – 4 months and 15 days in prison, without suspension.

The trial, held at the end of January, concluded that the three men orchestrated a bribery network to secure contracts in the Canary Islands’ solar‑energy sector.

Proven Facts

• Contact and agenda‑setting – In late August 2020, Navarro Tacoronte approached Bautista to help expand his business in the Canary Islands. He then arranged meetings with General Espinosa so Bautista could obtain “advantageous and lucrative contracts.”
• Cash payments and perks – Bautista paid Navarro Tacoronte up to €13,500 in cash, which the latter distributed to Espinosa. Bautista also covered the cost of a trip to Fuerteventura in November 2020 for Navarro Tacoronte and his extramarital partner, amounting to more than €750.
• “Greasing the relationship” – The court described Bautista’s approach to the general as exploiting his “special position” to obtain benefits, effectively “greasing the relationship” so that, in a climate of “pronounced cordiality,” an “administrative machinery” could be activated to favor the gift‑giver.
• Continuity of the scheme – Ongoing cash deliveries and gifts from Bautista to the general and to Navarro Tacoronte “allowed the construction of criminal continuity,” the court reasoned. The general’s status as a public official—through his role in the FIAPP, a body dedicated to international cooperation in the Sahel where he served as director—reinforced this assessment.

Evidence Presented

During the trial, the jury confirmed, through temporal coincidences between cash withdrawals and recorded conversations, that Bautista handed money to Navarro Tacoronte, who in turn passed it to General Espinosa. The recordings also revealed discussions about business opportunities.

Appeal Possibility

The judgment can be appealed before the Civil and Criminal Chamber of the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands (TSJC). While the sentences for the general and the entrepreneur are suspended for two years pending good behavior, Navarro Tacoronte’s prison term is not suspended, leaving him to serve the full 4½ months.