Former Reus mayor Carles Pellicer did not testify as a witness in the Innova case at the Provincial Court of Tarragona on Thursday, 11 June 2026. The court said it could not properly serve him with a summons, and Pellicer said he had received no notification.
For readers in Reus, the immediate effect is procedural rather than financial or transport-related: the hearing continued without one of the requested witnesses, and the trial over alleged contract irregularities in the municipal holding company Innova moved on to other evidence. The case remains relevant to local public spending and the management of projects linked to the city.
What the court said
According to the hearing reported from the Provincial Court of Tarragona, the judge said the court only had an old Reus City Council email address for Pellicer and that attempts to contact him through it had failed. Pellicer, who was mayor of Reus from 2011 to 2023, said he was “totally willing” to cooperate and that his council email became obsolete when he left office.
Pellicer also said he had not received any summons by email or any other method. The defence for former mayor Lluís Miquel Pérez, who is an accused in the trial, had asked for Pellicer to appear. Pérez’s lawyer later withdrew the request, so the hearing continued with evidence from construction companies, consulting firms and former officials.
Why the Innova case matters in Reus
The Innova case examines alleged irregularities in contracts and payments made by the municipal holding company Innova during its expansion years in Reus. It focuses mainly on work awarded to former CatSalut director Carles Manté and architect Jorge Batesteza, linked to the new Sant Joan de Reus Hospital and other health projects promoted from the city.
Pellicer was also the mayor who started an internal review of the Innova corporate network after his CiU government took office in Reus in 2011. For residents, businesses and council watchers, the case is part of a wider check on how public money and municipal-linked companies were managed in the city.
What happens next
The trial is continuing at the Provincial Court of Tarragona, with more witnesses and documentary evidence expected in the coming sessions. Readers following the case can track updates on our news page and, for official court information, refer to the Tribunal Superior de Justícia de Catalunya and the Consejo General del Poder Judicial.