A judge in Madrid recently gave new impetus to the investigation into the alleged misappropriation of funds at Jupol. Magistrate Monica Aguirre de la Cuesta gave the majority police union ten days to detail how it spent €359,434 between January 2019 and June 2021, the period when the organization was led by José María García, a co-accused. with the Yupole organization itself.
The union is financed by membership fees, and receives public funds based on its broad representation on the police council. During the investigation period, according to the special subsidy plan of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he received 380,731.22 euros of public money for representation in the police council.
Thus, Judge Aguirre de la Cuesta orders the proceedings proposed by the Police Internal Affairs Unit and focuses on the 66,480 euros that were withdrawn in cash from the ATMs by those responsible in the union. The police organization had 97 credit cards to distribute among its officers. According to a court order addressed to Caixabank, the names of 97 plastic beneficiaries and their card numbers were revealed.
One such credit card was in the name of the current General Secretary, Aaron Rivero, then Secretary of the Yupole Organization. According to the data compiled in the complaint submitted by Yusapoli and former Yupoli member Alejandro Leon. He is known as “Jandro Lomi” in social networks.– The current general secretary of Yupoli spent 5361 euros with the card.
Aaron Rivero took over from José María García after an internal dispute in which the former sector criticized, among other things, the expenses of the then general secretary in leisure activities with his relatives in union funds.
Yupol is a union organized from Yusapol, an organization that invaded the police during the last PP government, demanding equal pay with the regional police and in the heat of the most radical positions against the Catalan independence movement. Despite an average increase of €400 for the police and Civil Guard agreed by this government and implemented by Pedro Sánchez, Jupol and his mirror in the Civil Guard, Yusil, continued their claim and won the respective internal elections.
In the last legislature, Jupol is characterized by leading protests against the progressive coalition government, the main of which was the demonstration supported by PP, Vox and Ciudadanos in November 2021 against the reform of the Citizen Security Law, which is being discussed in the parliament. Now, those in charge are calling for another similar call in the middle of an election year, in their plan sponsored by the People’s Party.
Reports “A Little Light”
The new internal affairs report is an analysis of the documentation provided by the union to the court on its accounts. “It should be noted that in many cases, the information that appears in the general papers (daily accounting books) presented by Yupol is not very transparent about the accounting record that reflects it, for example, when it appears in the concept “invoice is not readable”. Either the record of payments for the missing cash “tickets” or even the name of the creditor that provides its services is incomplete,” according to the investigators’ report, which elDiario.es had access to.
In the same line and referring to the more than 66,000 euros withdrawn from ATMs, the Ministry of the Interior explains that the formula used to justify it is limited to “withdrawal of cash from Segovia”, “withdrawal of cash from Anjo”, “cash”. Withdrawal from Cádiz “… therefore, according to the researchers, “the final destination of this cash refund is unknown.”
The magistrate’s order states that Yupol must provide “supporting documentation” of the €359,434 spent on the cards, i.e. “invoice, ticket and additional documents”.
Playmobil by Amazon
The internal affairs department’s report also highlighted that police officers spent 30,667.74 euros on purchases made through Amazon with prepaid cards, which the company told investigators. Although the Home Office said the purchases could be equated to the needs of a union headquarters – office supplies, computers, chairs, a few microwave ovens and a coffee maker – there were those who bought two pairs of trousers and even a Playmobil toy.
elDiario.es contacted the current management of Jupol and the spokesperson assured that the expenses between 2018 and 2021, which are in the hands of the court “are in line with the daily management of the union and are fully justified and audited”.
According to them, this audit work was prepared by two firms at the request of the current Secretary General. “A policy of accounting control and transparency that has been in place since Aaron Rivero’s first day as Yupoli’s General Secretary and that has been maintained over time, as demonstrated by the 2022 audit of the accounts, which is being conducted at this time. They add.
Garcia’s expenses: Spa, ITV and Viagra
García’s expenses deserve special mention. The general secretary of Yupoli drove a car that cost the union 733.63 euros per month in rental format. To this should be added purchases at Zara, Cortefiel, restaurants near your home, ITV for your personal car, a ticket for a cinema near your home or paying for Viagra tablets at a pharmacy, respectively. Promoted at the time by The Independent.
Researchers note that it is difficult to substantiate that José María García was with his wife and two other relatives at the Palacio de la Magdalena spa (Soto del Barco, Asturias), even though he lives 17 kilometers away in Avilés. Also, that he related the expense of 35 euros of gin and tonic, which he made in the establishment.
The judge requested Wizink Bank SA to provide the Interior within ten days with all the “contractual and banking operational information” it has on the Wizink-Cepsa card charged to the aforementioned agent’s account at the Caja Rural de Asturias between July 9, 2018. and June 3, 2021.
This request is in response to the fact that Garcia, who has been billed since July 2021, facilitated the personal expenses attributed to him to be credited to his personal account. However, the investigation reveals that he transferred these expenses to the union coffers and received the money from Yupole funds.
Source: El Diario
