The judge closes the investigation of the Soule case, contrary to the prosecutor’s criteria

Judge Alejandro Abascal closed the investigation into the Soule case, into the alleged diversion of funds by former RFEF president Ángel María Villar, after refusing to extend the investigation for another two months as requested by the anti-corruption prosecutor and the League.

Others under investigation, such as Victoriano Sánchez Armini, former president of the Technical Committee of Judges (CTA), and its former secretary general, Raúl Massó, directly asked the judge to file the case for them, to which Abascal replied that it was not a favorable procedural moment to it is resolved, because it will be decided when the prosecution orders it

The request to extend the investigation was fundamentally based on the fact that the Central Investigative Court 1 of the State Court was still waiting to receive documentation that could lead to a request for a new procedure.

However, in his order, to which EFE had access, the judge considers that the reasons for that request were not sufficiently explained, and he understands that it cannot be justified “to wait for the delivery of certain documentation because the purpose of the extension is to carry out new procedures ”, which must also be properly specified, and not wait for those already agreed upon.

Sticking to the Prosecution’s request, the League also stated, the order recalls, that although the awaited General State Intervention (IGAE) report had already been received, it did not clarify whether there was a diversion of funds, “nor quantify that diversion”.

All this, he regretted, “despite the fact that some irregular destinations have been discovered and indicated by this party on several occasions, with an explicit indication of the location of the documents necessary for their location”, for which he understands that the IGAE must request a more detailed one.

That report, dated April 19 and an extension of the previous one from January, he added, did not deal with the destination of part of the funds of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and other aspects that were asked to be reflected in what he understood to be asking IGAE experts to complete “within the agreed deadlines”.

In this ten-page report, which EFE had access to, the IGAE concludes that the legal status of the beneficiary of the subsidy corresponding to the rest of the pool belongs to the National Professional Football League (LNFP) and that it is subject to the justification regime provided for in the General Law on Subsidies.

“The RFEF does not have any legal position within the subjective elements of the subsidy relationship, therefore the obligations that the regulations impose on users are not applicable, so that the RFEF is not subject to the obligation of justification, nor other obligations that the General Law on Subsidies imposes on those who have this condition.”

“In short, according to our criteria, the beneficiary of the subsidy is JLNF, and the justification regime provided for in the regulations governing public subsidies is applied to it,” says the IGAE.

Among the documentation to be received, the parties who requested the extension of the instruction recalled that the one requested from the Cantabrian Football Federation is still pending, and that it must also be forwarded to the IGAE experts; and the one that was requested from the RFEF and that was requested on 4.4.

In this regard, the judge points out that the IGAE report has been “submitted”, as well as the information requested from the RFEF, and as for the request to the Cantabrian Federation, it has already been agreed, “except that she was not executed”.