More than 600 people report that they have not received the contracted training
GERMÁN GONZÁLEZ / Barcelona
The Court of Instruction number 17 of Barcelona has ordered that the whereabouts of ERB, the owner of the Institut Access academies network, be investigated, which was reported for an alleged scam for closing these centers, leaving thousands of students hanging. The judge made the decision after receiving a statement from the Mossos d'Esquadra in which they said that they had not located the defendant at any of the two addresses in Barcelona that they know of nor had they responded to the telephone numbers they have, including a cell phone. For this reason, the court asks the agents to search for the accused through the Mossos police request service to find out if there is an address at all.
the national territory.
At the end of November, the court opened preliminary proceedings based on a complaint by hundreds of affected people who are represented by lawyers Daniel Vosseler and Liliana Villanueva, from the Vosseler Abogados firm. After knowing
This complaint of fraud, the judge ordered a police investigation and asked to know the defendant's version, although the agents have not been able to find him. The complaint specifies that ERB was the administrator of the companies
Institut Access that were used to open centers that provided training for competitive exams, free Vocational Training tests or ESO. There were nine centers spread across Barcelona, Madrid, Mataró, Sant Andreu de la Barca, Badalona or Vilanova i la Geltrú.
Thanks to the work of the defendant and his salespeople, they signed some 5.800 teaching contracts, mostly with unemployed young people who "saw access to the public service as the only solution to their problems," according to the complaint.
Between 2007 and 2011, those affected signed contracts and paid amounts in advance ranging from 900 to 3.000 euros. In exchange, they were offered "the magnificent guarantee of approval of the opposition in three years, and if not, the return of the amount paid."
The Vosseler Abogados firm represents more than 600 people who have already appeared in court as affected. At the time of filing the complaint, the lawyers explained that many people have joined the process after learning about the complaint on social networks. According to a first calculation, the money allegedly swindled from the students amounted to around 270.630 euros, although the amount may increase if new claims are taken into account. The figure results from the total amount of money that each affected person paid, between 1.000 and 3.000 euros for the course, plus compensation of 1.000 euros for each one for damages. The closure of these centers also harmed workers such as
teachers, salespeople and administrators who have been left unpaid.
In addition, money is owed to service providers such as the owners of shooting ranges where aspiring security forces practiced, companies that did the advertising or various copy shops in charge of photocopies. The
Complainants explain some cases of students who formalized their registration on November 2 and on the 4th the only center that remained open, located in the Les Corts neighborhood of Barcelona, closed.
