Tomás Morales, former Technical General Secretary, indicates that the hiring was reliant on the direction of Ana María Pérez.
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 28th October (EUROPA PRESS) –
The former Director of Economic Resources for the Canary Islands Health Service (SCS), Ana María Pérez, exercised her right this Monday to refrain from testifying before the investigative committee of the Parliament of the Canary Islands regarding the procurement of medical supplies during the pandemic, as she is currently under investigation for the offenses of prevarication and influence peddling related to the ‘mask case’.
The parliamentary groups attempted, without success, to persuade Pérez – who attended with her legal counsel – to provide her testimony and expressed their desire for her questions to be documented within the committee.
Jesús Ramos (ASG) remarked that “it is regrettable” she did not present her account of the events; the Vox spokesperson, Nicasio Galván, expressed empathy for her reluctance to speak given her legal predicament and inquired if she faced “pressure” from the SCS director, Conrado Domínguez, while Esther González (NC-BC) deemed it “reasonable” for her not to testify since she is being investigated in a criminal matter, thus refraining from posing any questions.
Fernando Enseñat (PP) disagreed with Pérez’s choice to remain silent, asserting she has a “moral obligation” to the Canary Islands to clarify the circumstances surrounding the RR7 mask contract. “It is vital for you to articulate your perspective since you are at the core of the responsibilities; everyone seems eager to lay blame at your feet,” he noted.
José Alberto Díaz-Estébanez (CC) asserted that offering testimony should be the “moral duty” of all those participating in the committee, emphasising Pérez’s role as a “key player” in the ‘masks case’ and a “necessary collaborator” to ensure that “the machinery operates.”
He highlighted the loss of four million euros in public funds as “undeniable” and mentioned that there are millions of units of “useless” medical supplies currently stored in departments of the autonomous government.
The nationalist deputy expressed interest in discerning whether her dismissal stemmed from health issues or was a consequence of the prosecution commencing its investigation, and queried Pérez if she felt “exploited.”
Miguel Ángel Pérez del Pino criticised the opposition for attempting to transform the investigative committee “into a tribunal,” claiming that “they are apathetic” to the information provided by those summoned to appear.
Tomás Morales, the former General Technical Secretary of the Ministry of Health, and past advisor and director of the Health area of El Hierro during the last legislature, intervened in front of the committee, asserting he was unaware of the contract made with RR7 United for the sum of four million euros for one million unused masks.
Furthermore, he noted that at the time of this contract, Isabel León, who is currently the Vice Minister of Employment for the Government of the Canary Islands, held the position of Technical General Secretary.
He clarified that the contracting entities “were transparent and evaluative,” and the decisions rested with the General Direction of Economic Resources of the Canarian Health Service (SCS), specifying that since the proclamation of the state of alarm, the emergency was recognised and communicated to the Government Council.
He added that during his tenure as head of the Health area in El Hierro, they did not identify any defective material upon arrival and expressed his uncertainty about why he had been called to testify by the Socialist Group, despite being a member since 2009 and an advisor in Parliament.
“I possess the qualifications for the role; I will not falsify information or engage in any illegality during an inquiry,” he remarked, emphasising that he was not given any prior directives to prepare for the committee.
THE HEALTH EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE WAS “INEFFECTIVE”
Morales detailed the operations of the various committees established during the pandemic, stating that the health executive committee was “ineffective” due to its “regulation,” and that a more “flexible” model was necessary to facilitate quicker decision-making.
He underscored the establishment of both a scientific committee of experts to provide advice and a management committee, which included prominent figures such as the Government President, Ángel Víctor Torres, and the Minister of Finance, Román Rodríguez, as the incoming information was “disjointed” and required centralisation.
He also mentioned that no minutes were documented from the meetings because they did not operate as administrative entities.
He stated that he had “communication” with Conrado Domínguez as he was his “superior,” but had not interacted with Torres or Ana María Pérez, although he did “recognise” her, and highlighted that he is not acquainted with those related to the RR7 contract.
Morales further elaborated that as Technical General Secretary, their responsibilities included providing advice, preparing agreements presented to the Government Council, managing regulations, and supporting health bodies within the autonomous community.
TERESA CRUZ’S DISMISSAL: THE PRESIDENT BELIEVED IT WAS “THE BEST OPTION”
He mentioned that the management committee did not overlap the roles of the Ministry of Health or the SCS and indicated ignorance regarding the reasons for his own dismissal following the removal of Health Minister Teresa Cruz. “If the president dismissed her, it was because he deemed it the best course of action,” he asserted.
In fact, he valued the outcomes of the pandemic management in the Canary Islands, noting that the archipelago recorded the fewest deaths per capita, the lowest mortality in care homes, and made “pioneering” decisions that were emulated by other regions.
In relation to this, he highlighted the accumulated “know-how” at the La Candelaria Hospital, the capacity to conduct PCR tests four days post-declaration of the state of alarm, and the establishment of a COVID-19 helpline to prevent patients from attending health facilities. “Many lives were safeguarded,” he remarked.
He also defended the creation of a “dashboard” to compile infection rates by island and the stock levels and usage of materials, stating that it would have been “irresponsible” not to procure masks from a company capable of delivering within 72 hours. “That was their reliability,” he noted.
Regarding potential future pandemics, he suggested there is room for “improvement” in adapting public contract law to health emergencies, as well as “learning from both effective actions and missteps.”
