The Madrid magistrate leading the case faced a suspension of activity amid accusations of irregularities in the tendering process for work at Civil Guard barracks, including several orders across the Alicante region that were allegedly delayed during on‑duty Jacquard operations.
One of the province’s barracks projects, whose rehabilitation was awarded to a Canarian entrepreneur, Ángel Ramón Tejera de León, also known as “Mon,” appears to be tied to the criminal proceedings. The case involves Lieutenant General Pedro Vázquez Jarava, who, at the time of the events, supervised the budget for disputed prizes and served as the head of the Avila Command where the matter originated. A freelance painter from Alicante is also mentioned, with the instructor weighing whether the commander should bear responsibility for documenting the work in the province.
Reports indicate that the Jacarilla project, financed by European funds and aimed at improving the barracks’ energy efficiency, required a court‑ordered assessment of the work awarded to Mon’s companies. The inspectors argued that the report should have been completed in a shorter timeframe and that, despite full payment, the work may not have met expected standards or altered course appropriately.
Experts selected to draft the detailed evaluations have a four‑month window to examine the completed facilities in Dolores, Alcoy, Orihuela, Castalla, Cocentaina, Benidorm, La Vila, San Miguel de Salinas, Muro de Alcoy, Bañeres de Mariola, El Verger, Onil, and the Alicante Command region.
The Canarian businessman took on work within barracks in the nearby province, with figures approaching 400,000 euros and nearly three million euros in the total invoiced amount to the Armed Institute for projects spanning 2014 through 2019. The contracts were primarily small in value, with most under 60,000 euros, and many lacked prior market testing to determine whether more favorable offers existed.
bites
The investigation, with the Civil Guard’s Internal Affairs Service playing a pivotal role, began after the arrest of Vázquez Jarava on Monday. The case highlights numerous alleged benefits, including travel and accommodation for family members, some of which related to a house purchase in Cádiz for about 395,000 euros, of which 45,700 euros were deemed to have unknown origins.
The public prosecutor’s office is scrutinizing elements that may constitute crimes such as embezzlement, forgery of commercial documents, bribery, and influence peddling. Several individuals are expected to testify as witnesses, including two generals and seven major colonels who held contracting authority during the period in question. One figure who played a role in Alicante between 2015 and 2018 is Manuel Muñoz, among others.
At this stage, the instructor will decide whether to assign blame to the commander, now a lieutenant colonel, as suggested by prosecutors. The Personnel and Support Department of the Alicante Command oversaw the documentation of the work conducted over those years. Of all the commands affected by this incident, only one is fully accounted for in the current state of proceedings. The commander involved has stated that his role was limited to confirming information provided by those responsible for the barracks where the projects were carried out.