The president of Maresa, Antonio Martín, asserts that materials were sourced from Management Solutions and Injoo, linked to the ‘Koldo case’.
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 25 Nov (EUROPA PRESS) –
The president of Maresa Logistics, Antonio Martín, defended on Monday the management and “good faith” of the authorities in the Canary Islands during the health crisis when international transport operated like “a Chinese bazaar”, with goods confiscated in airports and all shipments required to be prepaid.
During his appearance before the investigative committee of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, he revealed that his company invoiced almost one million euros in 2020, and among the cargo transported was equipment from Soluciones de Gestión and Injoo Technology, which are under scrutiny in the ‘Koldo case’ with revenues nearing 20 million euros.
Martín, who has stated he is not implicated in any legal matters and has no ties to the two firms, expressed that he does not regret his collaboration in facilitating the delivery of medical supplies to the islands but believes that if a similar scenario were to arise again, he would seek legal counsel first.
“I would exercise greater caution, because at that moment, honestly, I didn’t anticipate that five years or four years later, there might be repercussions for having proceeded without due diligence,” he remarked, cautioning that one can “make a mistake” in such operations, although everything proceeded “smoothly” and all documentation is verifiable.
He noted that his initial contact to coordinate with the SCS for sending medical supplies from China was via the president of the Canary Islands Confederation of Businessmen, Agustín Manrique, and he emphasised the eagerness within the island’s business community to assist, similar to all political parties.
He even disclosed that they volunteered to provide the necessary funds for transporting materials in the event liquidity was lacking, as their maximum capacity reached 750,000 euros.
“No one in China would grant you airspace unless you paid in advance; blind transfers were mandatory. If the cargo was left behind, you were uncertain about whether you would retrieve it,” he explained.
DEBT OF 50,000 EUROS
He mentioned that the first flight was “adequately” funded by the Canary Islands Government, but subsequent payments became frequently delayed, a situation he attributed to the “collapse” the SCS was experiencing, highlighting almost anecdotal that he failed to collect an invoice for 50,000 euros as it was not well substantiated.
“If someone contacted you saying, ‘Hey, I have masks or I know someone who sells masks,’ you could entertain their proposal,” he stated, citing the disorder of materials at Shanghai airport, which made it challenging to ascertain the source of each product. It was essentially a free-for-all.
Another issue he emphasised was the confiscation of goods, as there was no assurance that they would arrive “even while the plane was in flight”, with governments demanding extra fees if planes made stops at their airports.
“The directive was, hey, the key is ensuring arrival, do whatever is necessary,” he stated.
In this context, he reiterated that “the most crucial aspect” was to deliver masks promptly. “It was a rush; people were dying. The thing is, I spoke with the directors, and I expect you did too, with the hospital directors, and they said, we don’t have supplies, we can’t,” he emphasised.
