During testimony before Civil Guard UCO agents, Joan Navarro, executive in charge of Corporate Affairs at the state enterprise Acuamed (Aguas de las Cuencas Mediterráneas), stated that between 2006 and 2008 her connection with Jaime was almost nonexistent. María Febrer emerges as a central figure in the corruption schemes under scrutiny within the Azud macro cause. The testimony also indicated that their interaction, once contact was made, was limited to technical matters facilitated through a socialist intermediary, with José Luis Vera also drawn into discussions aimed at enabling an agreement between Acuamed and the Xixona City Council that would secure water supplies. The investigation pointed to the barren PAI El Espartal, a site where Febrer planned 5,400 luxury homes and a golf course, marking one of the most ambitious urban development ventures tied to the Azud case. [Citation: UCO investigation]
Shock rippled through the Civil Guard when Navarro, after engaging with El Espartal, sent an email to February on January 3, 2008. The message stated: “Dear Jaime, I am attaching the latest tenders from AcuaMed, the Public Works company presented itself for the project at l’Eliana, which seems likely to raise domestic visibility. We’ll discuss next week, but your team should start working on it now. Hug.”
In that same email, Navarro attached a document listing ten Acuamed projects under tender, highlighting the l’Eliana nitrification plant in red with a base budget of 16.9 million euros—nearly four times higher than the figure from two years earlier when the project was conceived. The message also noted a maximum implementation window of 18 months, a deadline that culminated in the plant becoming operational only in 2019, more than a decade after the email. [Citation: UCO investigation]
One day later, Febrer attempted to reactivate an old plan to establish a company that would assume control of public construction works. A leading partner, the head of Gesfesa who was also detained and investigated in Azud, spoke with Federico Ferrando and urged expeditious action, insisting that the company must be formed.
Nine months after Navarro’s initial contact, Febrer and Vera had discussed acquiring such a firm. The plan was tied to the APUC project, wherein the principal figure linked to the Azud scheme allegedly planned to contribute two million to become the majority shareholder. Yet, like many other schemes, this particular plan never came to fruition. [Citation: National Court proceedings]
That same period did not see the nitrification tender awarded to a new bidder either, as the contract ultimately went to the Intersa-Abaldo joint venture. This project remains part of another macro investigation—the Acuamed Case—arising from a UCO operation that led to thirteen arrests. The probe is overseen by National Court judge Manuel García-Castellón and dates back to 2016. [Citation: National Court proceedings]