Gallardo lashes out against the 'veracity' of the UCO report: "I attended the reading of a science fiction novel"

Miguel Ángel Gallardo starred in a striking moment during his judicial declaration by harshly criticizing the report of the Central Operative Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard, whose conclusions he described as a "science fiction novel".

During his intervention, Gallardo assured that he attended the reading of a story more typical of fiction than of a judicial investigation. "With all due respect, I attended the reading of a fiction novel worthy of the Felipe Trigo Awards", he stated before the court, thus questioning the solidity of the accusations contained in the report.

The judge then interrupted the former socialist leader to remind him that he should limit himself to answering the questions posed by his lawyer and that he would have the opportunity to make broader assessments at the end of the procedure, exercising his right to the last word.

Gallardo, who faces a request for a sentence for alleged crimes of prevarication and influence peddling, assured that he has "never" intervened in matters related to personnel selection. As he explained, the proposal to create the position of conservatory coordinator came from the Culture area and was approved along with other positions within the institution's budgetary planning.

The former provincial president also defended that, when the selection process took place in 2017, he did not maintain a close relationship with Pedro Sánchez and even stated that he was unaware that he had siblings. In that sense, he maintained that when he was informed that David Sánchez was among the applicants, his only instruction was that "the best one should win".

Furthermore, Gallardo denied any participation in the change of name of the position held by David Sánchez, which years later became the Office of Performing Arts. He assured that it was a technical decision that did not involve salary modifications or new functions.

During his appearance, the former leader of the PSOE in Extremadura defended the legality of all decisions adopted by the Provincial Council and harshly questioned the narrative elaborated by the investigators. According to his version, the UCO's conclusions are based on erroneous interpretations and do not reflect the real functioning of the provincial institution.