SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 27th May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The investigation commission scrutinizing health contracts during the pandemic in the Canary Islands will see notable figures such as the current Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory and former Canarian President, Ángel Víctor Torres, former Ministry of Transport advisor Koldo García, former Minister José Luis Ábalos, and the ‘mediator’, Antonio Navarro, giving their testimonies.
The series of appearances is set to commence on 1st July with the initial 14 individuals out of the more than 70 applications received, as confirmed on Monday by the Board, after considering suggestions from all parliamentary groups.
The commission’s president, Raúl Acosta (AHI) briefed the press, revealing that the first 14 appearances will signify the conclusion of this phase of sessions.
The Board will convene once more on 5th June to rectify any errors and refine certain appearance requests and information demands by the groups, with a subsequent meeting scheduled for 7th June to outline the work plan.
Primarily, all commission sessions will be open to the public except those necessitating confidential discussions.
“The number of individuals testifying is significantly higher than anticipated,” he remarked, while pointing out that key issues in documentation submission have been failure to adequately justify justifications, relevance to the commission’s scope, or overly general report requests.
The objective is for the commission to conclude by the year-end, though he acknowledged the challenge due to extensive parliamentary engagements and a tight schedule. Consequently, the possibility of holding sessions later may be considered, albeit with a preference for morning slots, especially around 12:00, permitting the presence of two witnesses.
NEARLY 40 INDIVIDUALS AFFILIATED WITH GOVERNING PARTIES
Political factions supporting the Government – CC, PP, ASG and AHI – have collectively proposed the testimony of 38 individuals. Notable among them are the current Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, and former Ministry of Transport advisor Koldo García.
Furthermore, sought-after appearances include Rayco González of RR7 United – the company embroiled in a purported four-million-euro scam involving undelivered masks to the SCS; entrepreneur Juan Manuel Pérez, the case’s complainant; Íñigo Rotaexte representing Soluciones de Gestión y Apoyo de Empresas SL, a company associated with the Koldo case; former Health Ministers Julio Pérez, Blas Trujillo, and Teresa Cruz; former SCS directors Antonio Olivera and Conrado Domínguez; and former Treasury Minister, Román Rodríguez.
The Socialist Group has called for 12 individuals to testify, including Minister Ángel Víctor Torres, PP deputy Carlos Ester, Doctor Negrín Hospital manager Miguel Ángel Ponce, and entrepreneur Agustín Manrique de Lara.
Apart from business figures implicated in the RR7 ‘mask case’, Vox has also requested the appearances of Torres, Koldo García, ex-Minister of Transport José Luis Ábalos, and mediator Antonio Tacoronte.
