The President of the Parliament, Laura Borràs, has finally accepted the resignation of the Secretary General of the Catalan Chamber, Esther Andreu, after learning of the report of the Antifraud Office on the case of her son’s temporary job title.
Borràs’ decision comes after learning that the Office’s report concludes that Andreu did not act correctly in managing the position as interim usher for his son since that family relationship is the cause of a conflict of interest and, therefore, Andreu should have informed her to have abstained from the procedure.
It so happens that Andreu requested his resignation, first verbally and then in a letter dated June 7, the content of which was made known today. In it, the general secretary of the Parlament does not assume any responsibility regarding the case and she defends that she should not inform the Catalan Chamber of Commerce that her son appeared in the job market.
“This option is the most respectful towards the applicants themselves, who also have the right to have their privacy, image and personal data respected,” he says.
Andreu is itchy that the Board decided to request an “external” report from the Antifrau Office, instead of requesting it from the Chamber’s lawyers. “It is an unprecedented event in the history of parliamentary administration,” he complains. But the truth is that, as Efe revealed this week, Andreu was the one who proposed one of the members of the court that evaluated the selection process without notifying him of his relationship with one of the candidates for the Parliamentary Table.
But the main reason given by the general secretary for resigning is that her impartiality, objectivity and independence, as well as her professionalism and honesty, have been called into question. And that she has used it as an “instrument to attack higher authorities”, in reference to President Borràs.
Along with these reasons, Andreu sets out the underlying reasons for this situation: the “lack of understanding and communication with the current senior lawyer” Miquel Palomares, which “affect and hinder the proper performance of my duties,” he alleges.
Andreu even reproaches Palomares for the fact that this lack of understanding “is expressed verbally in the meetings of the Board” and not precisely “due to legal questions or issues”, but rather “consists of statements that discredit the professionalism of the general secretary, accusing her of violating the own legal status of lawyers”. This confrontation has caused an “unsustainable” situation, as Andreu acknowledges.
According to a statement issued by the Catalan Chamber, which completes all the information requested on this matter, Borràs has decided to accept the resignation once the content of the Antifrau report has been assessed and will be dismissed from his duties this Friday.
The report highlights that there are “reasonable doubts about the correct processing of the procedure” for the selection of the interim usher position that Andreu’s son opted for, not only in relation to his son, “but in general.”
And he adds: “The inadequate management of the conflict of interest could generate, as has happened, widespread doubts about the impartiality and objectivity of a certain public action, and with it an evident damage to confidence in the institutions and their actions.”
