The apparent saviour of two canning plants, one in
Calasparra, who committed to save the factories and their workforces, allegedly
used the money for his own companies leaving the workforce on the street.
Now, Joaquín Navarro Salinas, owner of Halcon Foods, who took over the Diosa
Canning Plant in Calasparra and Conservas Fernandez in Campos del Rio in 2008, ostensibly
to refloat them, allegedly, used millions of euros in loans and 12 million
taken from Cofrusa´s own accounts, to finance his other businesses and his
personal expenses.
He faces charges for a fraud of 28.5 million euros.
There are also two outstanding private accusations from Info, the main victim
of the fraud, and the AgroAlimentaria Federation of the UGT (union), which represents
the workers affected by the collapse of the two businesses, one in Calasparra
and the other in Campos del Rio.
The Fiscal considers that the businessman, Joaquín Navarro Salinas, took advantage
of the circumstances as owner of the group headed by Confrusa and “designed a
plan to illicitly enrich himself by obtaining credit from different entities”
aimed at gaining favour for an endorsement from Info. All this, according to
the Fiscal, with the justification that the funds obtained would be used to
refloat Halcon Foods and Conservas Fernandez (formerly Diosa in Calasparra). However,
instead he, allegedly, used the majority of the money for diffeernt ends, such
as financing his own companies and his own personal economy.
The allegedly “false proposition” of Navarro Salinas was his offer to the
public administrations to buy and save the two canning plants facing ruin. He
presented a viability plan and committed to saving 550 jobs and securing the
future for Halcon Foods in Campos del Rio and Conservas Fernandez in
Calasparra, provided they conceded 35.6 million euros.
On April 3, 2009, the mercantile Mediterránea Alimentación, with 99% participation
of Joaquín Navarro Salinas and 1% for Cofrusa, was formed and
later bought the shares in Halcon Foods for a symbolic price of one euro.
Between June 9 and 15 a viability plan, which was presented to the Autonomous
Government of Murcia, also guaranteed 550 jobs, committed four million euros in
redundancy payments, 4.6 million in capital, 9 million to pay suppliers and 19
million to refinance debts to the bank. The plan also included an investment of
two million euros in a line of tomato products in Calasparra and a minimum of a
million euros annually invested in other production lines.
Under these circumstances Info gave an endorsement (security) for 28.5 million
euros loan to Joaquín Navarro Salinas, to cover 80% of the 35.6 million loan
from various banks.
However, the judicial investigation found a “major part of the funds were not
destined at refloating the activities of the plants at Campos del Rios and
Calasparra,” which had been managed by Halcon Foods, but were destined at other
ends which were in the interests of the company, Cofrusa. Sadly, says the
Fiscal, the plants at Campos del Rio and Calaparra continued with practically
no activity.
Out of the four million euros for redundancy payments only three were paid and
out of the nine million for suppliers only 5.6 million was paid. But
particularly damaging was the apparent deviation of 11.8 million euros to
Cofrusa “without any good reason” as Halcon did not owe Cofrusa any money,
rather Cofrusa owed Halcon 1.5 million euros. The two million euros capital
from Mediterránea Alimentación allegedly ended up in the private bank account
of Navarro Salinas.
As a result of these findings Navarro Salinas has been charged with fraud and
the court will accept the two private accusations as well.
The apparent saviour of two canning plants, one in Calasparra, who committed to save the factories and their workforces, allegedly used the money for his own companies leaving the workforce on the street.
Now, Joaquín Navarro Salinas, owner of Halcon Foods, who took over the Diosa Canning Plant in Calasparra and Conservas Fernandez in Campos del Rio in 2008, ostensibly to refloat them, allegedly, used millions of euros in loans and 12 million taken from Cofrusa´s own accounts, to finance his other businesses and his personal expenses.
He faces charges for a fraud of 28.5 million euros.
There are also two outstanding private accusations from Info, the main victim of the fraud, and the AgroAlimentaria Federation of the UGT (union), which represents the workers affected by the collapse of the two businesses, one in Calasparra and the other in Campos del Rio.
The Fiscal considers that the businessman, Joaquín Navarro Salinas, took advantage of the circumstances as owner of the group headed by Confrusa and “designed a plan to illicitly enrich himself by obtaining credit from different entities” aimed at gaining favour for an endorsement from Info. All this, according to the Fiscal, with the justification that the funds obtained would be used to refloat Halcon Foods and Conservas Fernandez (formerly Diosa in Calasparra). However, instead he, allegedly, used the majority of the money for diffeernt ends, such as financing his own companies and his own personal economy.
The allegedly “false proposition” of Navarro Salinas was his offer to the public administrations to buy and save the two canning plants facing ruin. He presented a viability plan and committed to saving 550 jobs and securing the future for Halcon Foods in Campos del Rio and Conservas Fernandez in Calasparra, provided they conceded 35.6 million euros.
On April 3, 2009, the mercantile Mediterránea Alimentación, with 99% participation of Joaquín Navarro Salinas and 1% for Cofrusa, was formed and
later bought the shares in Halcon Foods for a symbolic price of one euro.
Between June 9 and 15 a viability plan, which was presented to the Autonomous Government of Murcia, also guaranteed 550 jobs, committed four million euros in redundancy payments, 4.6 million in capital, 9 million to pay suppliers and 19 million to refinance debts to the bank. The plan also included an investment of two million euros in a line of tomato products in Calasparra and a minimum of a million euros annually invested in other production lines.
Under these circumstances Info gave an endorsement (security) for 28.5 million euros loan to Joaquín Navarro Salinas, to cover 80% of the 35.6 million loan from various banks.
However, the judicial investigation found a “major part of the funds were not destined at refloating the activities of the plants at Campos del Rios and Calasparra,” which had been managed by Halcon Foods, but were destined at other ends which were in the interests of the company, Cofrusa. Sadly, says the Fiscal, the plants at Campos del Rio and Calaparra continued with practically no activity.
Out of the four million euros for redundancy payments only three were paid and out of the nine million for suppliers only 5.6 million was paid. But particularly damaging was the apparent deviation of 11.8 million euros to Cofrusa “without any good reason” as Halcon did not owe Cofrusa any money, rather Cofrusa owed Halcon 1.5 million euros. The two million euros capital from Mediterránea Alimentación allegedly ended up in the private bank account of Navarro Salinas.
As a result of these findings Navarro Salinas has been charged with fraud and the court will accept the two private accusations as well.
