Marian Franquet, counselor of Social Action of the Cabildo de Tenerife called to testify today by the Court of Instruction number four of Santa Cruz de Tenerife as a defendant in the investigation into the transfer of the elderly from Febles Campos Hospital, describes as “fable” the complaint for which the judge has opened preliminary proceedings. In an appeal presented to the court, Franquet assures that the approval of the hiring of the company Clece -of the Florentino Pérez business conglomerate- of the management of the residence to which the 240 elderly people of Febles Campos will be transferred, located in the Diocesan Seminary , “has not concluded” and therefore cannot be considered definitive. “No executive administrative act has been issued, nor has the resolution phase begun.”
Marián Franquet plays a very important role in this transfer operation of a public service to the private company Clece. As Minister of Social Action, she presides over the Social and Health Care Institution (IASS) and its Governing Council, under which are the patients of the Febles Campos de Santa Cruz who will be taken to the Diocesan Seminary of La Laguna.
In the appeal against the opening of preliminary proceedings, the president of the IASS opposes the opening of a judicial proceeding against her –and another nine people who approved the operation, among them the president of the Cabildo, Pedro Martín (PSOE)– without include a description of the crimes and when the contract is still in the processing phase, so it could not be approved.
Marián Franquet filed the appeal before Instruction number four on October 21, to which some of the defendants adhered, such as the Counselor for Citizen Participation, Nauzet Gugliota, or the manager of the IASS, Yazmina León. The directors voted in favor of hiring Clece for 10 years of the residence of the Diocesan Seminary in the Governing Council of the IASS – the Institute’s governing and management body – on June 17, 2021, one of the main reasons why they are defendants.
Investigating Judge number four, María de los Ángeles Lorenzo-Cáceres, has rejected the appeals in an order notified on January 14, understanding that in the processing that has been carried out so far, especially in the approval of the outsourcing operation of the social and health service, there are “sufficient indications of criminality” to initiate preliminary proceedings.
Franquet clarifies in his appeal that the Governing Council of the IASS that he chaired “only agreed to start the investigation phase of the procedure”. “Therefore, it is clear that no action has yet been initiated that could be punishable, even if attempted. The resolution phase has not started, ”highlights his letter.
The directors who voted in favor of all the conditions of the subrogation to Clece on June 21, 2021 were part of those now sued: Franquet herself, Enrique Arriaga (vice president of the Citizens’ Council), Nauzet Gugliotta (Counselor of Citizen Participation of the PSOE), Michael Montero (the leader of Podemos Canarias has just left the General Directorate of Dependency of the Government of the Canary Islands), Ignatius Rodriguez (Mayor of La Matanza and representative of Fecam) and Elizabeth Leon (General technical secretary of the Ministry of Health). They voted against the island councilors of the Canarian Coalition Efraín Medina, Carmen Delia Alberto and Blanca Pérez, and the counselor of the Popular Party Águeda Fumero. The Minister of Podemos María José Belda abstained.
The agenda of the Governing Council of the IASS lists all the details of the agreement with Clece for 10 years and 9.8 million euros, only for lease and works, so that the company of the conglomerate chaired by Florentino Pérez manages the new residence of the Seminary of La Laguna. The IASS uses as the main justification for accepting Clece’s proposal, after two years of negotiation, that it is the only building on the island that has dependencies that are adapted to the needs of the urgent transfer of patients from Febles Campos. It also highlights that the relocation of the elderly is urgent due to the poor conditions in which this hospital located in the capital of Tenerife is located.
The Cabildo and Clece have already publicly announced that the company will host the elderly from Febles Campos at the Seminar. The new center even has a name: Residencia de Mayores San Cristóbal. It will be able to serve 167 people and will create 100 jobs.
