SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE 12 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The director of Casinos de Tenerife, Gildo Hernández, has tendered his resignation following a nine-year disqualification sentence for an act of administrative malfeasance related to the awarding of multiple contracts, as reported by ‘Canarias Ahora’ and confirmed by the vice president of the Cabildo, Lope Afonso.
However, Hernández has lodged an appeal with the Provincial Court.
The Socialist Group has highlighted in a statement that during Pedro Martín’s presidency at the Cabildo, Gildo Hernández had previously been dismissed as manager, but he continued as director until November 4.
Among the factors that prompted the former government group’s loss of trust in this manager, who had held the position since 2000, were, in addition to a prior complaint which resulted in the disqualification conviction, the discovery of “hundreds of thousands of euros in invitations” at the casinos operated by the Tenerife Cabildo and a human resources practice deemed “irregular” by the previous Cabildo.
Specifically, this involved the termination of employees nearing retirement, allowing them to receive substantial compensation from public funds just before their retirement.
These matters were brought to the attention of the Prosecutor’s Office, although they were archived, the socialists indicated.
The president of the Socialist Group also noted that upon taking office in the island government, he encountered a “nonsense and oversized” network of public companies, which raised concerns that it could undermine the oversight of entities that, despite the circumstances, are part of the island’s public sector. Consequently, efforts were made towards its “reduction and privatisation” to prevent such issues with public resources.