The Members of Parliament from the Popular Party responsible for the interrogations in the Canary Islands Parliament Commission investigating the “Mask Case” and other suspicious purchases of medical supplies, Fernando Enseñat and Jennifer Curbelo, held a press conference this morning. They lamented that the former Canary president and current socialist minister, Ángel Víctor Torres, “opened the doors of the Canary Islands wide to the plot of Koldo and Ábalos”. Both hope that Torres’s appearance this Monday before the said commission will “serve to clarify the web of doubts, suspicions, and shadows that surround Torres’s relationship with the Peugeot Gang, Koldo and Ábalos are implicated in this plot and Pedro Sánchez appointed him as minister. We only need Cerdán to appear”.
Enseñat and Curbelo emphasised that “the political responsibility of Ángel Víctor Torres is undeniable”, since “the former regional executive president and his team are the link connecting the Canary Islands with Koldo, Ábalos, Aldama, and an entire plot that shames the citizens of these Islands”.
“Presidents of other communities governed by the PSOE, like Castilla-La Mancha, were diligent and closed the door to these corrupt individuals. García Page said it didn’t smell right to him, but Torres was governing in the Canary Islands. Why did Ábalos and Koldo choose the Canary Islands to do business? Why did they find fertile ground here while being rejected in other PSOE communities? If it didn’t smell right to Page, why did Torres fail to catch the scent? García Page stated that the businesses of this plot did not prosper in his community because those intending to corrupt knock on doors that are corruptible. Was Torres‘ government more corruptible than Castilla-La Mancha’s?”, Jennifer Curbelo questioned.
The member of parliament recalled that “there is much to clarify and too many contradictions and doubts: why was Torres so involved with a mere advisor to the point of sharing information about payments and meeting with businessmen from the plot recommended by Koldo? Why did Torres block a parliamentary investigation into the ‘Mask Case’ in 2022 and ignore warnings from the Audit Office? Why did Torres try to conceal his direct relationship with Koldo? Did Torres know Aldama? Did he meet with Aldama or not?”.
Fernando Enseñat anticipated that in Torres‘s appearance on Monday, “too many doubts” would need clarification and highlighted some: “Ábalos distanced himself from Koldo in this commission, stating he was a mere advisor, not his right-hand man. Why then did Torres have such a close relationship with him, seemingly indicating what to do on certain matters? How did the relationship between Koldo and Torres start? Who introduced them? Who told Torres that Koldo was an authorised liaison? Did Torres never ask Ábalos about Koldo? Did he never suspect anything concerning his insistence on certain contracts?”.
In Enseñat‘s view, “once the extent of Ábalos and Koldo‘s corruption and degradation was known, isn’t Torres ashamed of the audios and messages we all know? Will more messages, audios, or conversations of Torres with the protagonists of this plot emerge? And regarding his chief of staff and trusted man, Antonio Olivera? Does Torres stand by Antonio Olivera‘s management? Does Olivera‘s recent resignation relate to the so-called Mask Case or the contracts under this commission’s scrutiny?”.
“We will try to get Torres to clarify whether he fears new reports from the UCO on the business dealings of the plot in the Canary Islands might point to him again. We will attempt to have him truthfully state whether there are pending actions of his related to this plot, and when he last spoke with Koldo and Ábalos,” assured Enseñat.
Both Curbelo and Enseñat consider that Torres has not been faithful to the truth when he said, “nobody from the Ministry of Transport ever requested me to contract with any company” when Koldo proposed doing business with Megalab; when he said, “Mr Ábalos never called me, Mr García (Koldo) never called me”, when there are messages proving otherwise. Why did he claim, “I was never requested to order the contracting of any company by anyone from the Ministry of Transport” when Koldo wrote to tell him about deals he thought were fantastic, and Mr Torres met with those businessmen, received business documentation, and facilitated contacts with members of his government?”.
“Why did Torres tell Koldo, a mere advisor, that “he would sleep better tonight” after paying companies involved in the plot? Did Mr Torres follow instructions from Koldo García?”, asks Enseñat.
“With all that has been revealed about Ábalos and Koldo’s dealings, their moral standing, and corrupt businesses, we still don’t know if Torres has considered resigning due to his more than questionable relationship with them while president of the Canary Islands. Without Torres, nothing that happened would have been possible in the Canary Islands,” concludes the popular MP.
♦️Related article: Fierro: “The PP of the Canary Islands needs to talk about Torres because they cannot talk about the non-existent Manuel Domínguez”
