The Mossos d’Esquadra and the Civil Guard link the ‘ex-minister’ of Economy Jaume Giro with the contract signed on January 26, 2009 between the former Repsol Foundation, when he was in charge (he left office in March of that year), to the audiovisual production company triacommanaged by the ex-manager of TV3 Oriol Carbo and investigated for, supposedly, being a way of financing the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC). This is stated in a joint report from both police forces to which EL PERIÓDICO has had access and which appears in the ‘Triacom case’, a process derived from the ‘3% case’, which is being processed in the National Court.
The agents decide three pages for the political leader, including a photograph, in a report that summarizes this operation and that occupies a total of 24 pages. The investigators maintain that all the sponsorship provided for in the contracts with Triacom for a television series was not fulfilled, since 26 chapters of the 52 agreed were made and, despite this, the fees were paid. €457,860 (VAT included) agreed from the beginning.
“I am completely unaware of what investigation it is about, and I am surprised that I have not been informed before that a topic from 13 years ago appears at the moment. That said, if the contract is from 2009, you have to keep in mind that, at the beginning March 2009, I joined another company and, therefore, 10 of the 12 months of 2009 I am not at Repsol, and I cannot do what I have done in my entire professional life: carefully monitor the compliance with contracts”, Giró assured this newspaper. Sources from the oil company explained to this newspaper that, in the end, fewer chapters were made, but longer, up to 15 minutes and with a total of 390 (in the contract there are 5 or 6 minutes per chapter and a total of 312 minutes). ).
Both police officers carry out in the report a professional x-ray of Giró from his beginnings as a journalist until when he entered Catalan Gas as head of communication, including his time at the oil company, The Caixathe consultancy founded by him and his appointment as ‘conseller’ of Economy, on May 26, 2021. Among other issues, the letter highlights that he has participated “actively” in Catalan civil society entities and that he joined in his day as economic vice president in the candidacy of Joan Laporta to the presidency of Barça, “although fleetingly, since he resigned for professional reasons”.
On January 26, 2009, Oriol Carboas the sole administrator of Triacom, and Giró, as vice president of the former foundation of the oil company, signed a contract for the exclusive sponsorship of that entity of the program ‘Dotze+1’originally called ‘in positiu’, which was broadcast on the TV3 children’s channel. Based on this agreement, the foundation would have a space of 15 seconds in each production chapter, with a total of 52 episodes (with a duration of four minutes, depending on the project, although the contract specifies between five and six minutes). . Its dissemination was scheduled for October 2009 and, in any case, no later than 2010, although it was possible that the contract might be extended. If Triacom did not comply, the production company would have to pay compensation. The financing took the form of an investment of 390,000 euros, plus VAT, to be paid in three payments. The invoices were issued in December 2009, when Giró was no longer at the foundation, in 2010 and in 2011.
Strange financial aid
Months later, in November 2009, Triacom signed a contract with TV3 through which they jointly participated in the production of the series in a 26-episode format (not 52). In one of the points reference is made to the sponsorship of the foundation of which Giró was vice president. The budget amounted to 390,000 euros, plus VAT, and included 10% in concept of Industrial benefit in favor of Triacom. In this sense, the Mossos and the Civil Guard maintain that there is no difference between the amounts consigned in the sponsorship contract and the production contract, which “calls attention, since, normally, the economic contribution on the sponsorship of a production corresponds to economic aid that does not correspond to covering the total cost of production”.
The agents explain that Triacom “could be considered a display company within a corporate framework at the level of Catalonia that benefited, among others, politicians, businessmen and people linked to them”. And they point out that “the turnover that has been generating” this production company “without structure, without workers and outsourcing” all the contracts awarded mainly with TV-3. In the reports of the Mossos and the Civil Guard, neither the old foundation of the oil company nor Giró appears any more.
the price of a video
The Mossos and the Civil Guard have also revealed another contract signed by Natural gas with Triacom in 2011 for the production of a video for the shareholders’ meeting of that year for an amount of €120,000. The investigators point out that there are “serious doubts” as to whether the gas company actually paid for a requested service at a “reasonable market price.” In this way, they link this operation with David Madi, senior CDC official. Triacom, in his opinion, is “used” to channel money towards this businessman.
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The report reveals that Madí, through his company IKI Catcashed in 2011 from Triacom €35,000plus VAT, for the concept of “Briefing, campaign and production” of the shareholders’ meeting of the gas company, in the same way that occurred with telephonefor which he received from the producer other €70,000plus VAT.
On the other hand, the agents also question the work of Triacom for which they received these €120,000 and that it subcontracted with other companies, among which is that of Madí, approximately for €220,000. “In other words, once again Triacom worked at a loss, contravening any type of logic and incurring again in facts that could be understood as a diversion of funds“, as it already happened with the companies related to Juan Manuel Parra and that “served for the irregular financing” of the CDC. As in the case of the old foundation of the oil company, nothing more from the gas company appears in the reports.