A Madrid court has opened a separate investigation into the so-called “caso Begoña” after the European Public Prosecutor’s Office flagged possible misconduct in a major public contract. Judge Juan Carlos Peinado is examining whether the approximately €4 million Red.es award to entrepreneur Juan Carlos Barrabés involved prevarication, following a report from the UCO (Central Operative Unit of the Guardia Civil) that identified irregularities in the bidding process. The contract involved European funding and forms part of wider scrutiny of Gómez’s professional activities and public-sector relationships.
The contract was awarded to Barrabés, a businessman who advised Begoña Gómez, the wife of Spain’s Prime Minister, on creating her academic chair at the Complutense University of Madrid. Gómez also provided letters of recommendation for public tenders involving Barrabés. The European Prosecutor’s findings indicate that Red.es officials allegedly concealed the fact that Barrabés’s offer failed to meet a basic requirement: submitting a “white book” mandated by the tender documents. Investigators allege that the omission allowed the bid to be assessed subjectively and ultimately selected.
The UCO uncovered these issues while reviewing two Red.es contracts awarded to Barrabés. Both included recommendation letters from Gómez and fell under the European Prosecutor’s jurisdiction. A third contract involving Barrabés was handled by Peinado’s court. Internal Red.es emails reviewed by investigators suggest that staff intentionally concealed the missing documentation in Barrabés’s proposal. In all three cases, the same Red.es official, Luis Prieto Cuerdo, Director of Digital Economy, was responsible for the subjective evaluation that led to Barrabés’s selection. Prieto Cuerdo reports to the Ministry for Digital Change, headed by Óscar López.
The contract, officially titled “AceleraPyme Office Services: Support and Advisory Services,” had a budget of €4,053,500 and was awarded to Innova Next, Barrabés’s company, in partnership with KPMG. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office concluded that the facts could constitute both prevarication and fraud affecting the European Union’s financial interests, and initially sought to take over the case. After a legal challenge, Spain’s National Court ordered that the matter be returned to Peinado.
The approximately €4 million Red.es award is distinct from a broader figure of around €8 million cited in political commentary for contracts and aid connected to companies associated with Barrabés; the larger sum does not represent the value of this individual contract. Innova Next is also named in a separate complaint concerning public-sector contracting, including contracts involving Correos. In that matter, the Madrid Provincial Court ordered further investigative steps after overturning a lower court’s decision. The complaint alleges possible procurement-related offenses, which remain allegations rather than judicial findings.
After the court’s decision on the Red.es matter, Peinado opened a separate case file and asked the Madrid Prosecutor’s Office to determine the legal classification of the alleged offenses. The new line of inquiry is being handled independently from the proceedings concerning Gómez. In those proceedings, Barrabés was excluded from the jury-trial phase involving Gómez, while scrutiny of the legality of public-contract awards connected to him continued. The two tracks concern distinct questions: Gómez’s alleged conduct and the legality of procurement decisions involving Barrabés.
Red.es is a public entity under Spain’s Ministry for Digital Change, responsible for promoting digital innovation and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises. The UCO is a specialized unit of the Guardia Civil focused on complex financial and corruption cases. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office, operational since 2021, investigates crimes affecting the EU’s financial interests. The investigation’s outcome could affect public procurement oversight and the handling of EU funds in Spain.
