PP and Vox expand their action against the management of the Botànic. Two days after the president of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, announced an audit of the “irregularities” detected in the public sector during the years of government of the left, the parliamentary groups of the right have registered a petition for the creation of a Commission of investigation into irregularities in the instrumental public sector of the Generalitat between 2016 and 2023.
The date is not trivial since it removes from the equation the previous years in which the management, which this Thursday called the PSPV into question, was in the hands of the popular ones. In fact, Compromís has demanded that the investigation commission cover “from the creation of each entity to the present, including those extinct instrumental public sector entities.”
The popular ombudsman, Miguel Barrachina, justified in a press conference that “Valencians deserve to know the truth, to stop irregular practices and to study whether responsibilities arise from this catastrophic management of the instrumental public sector, with 50 of the 54 public companies that present irregularities.”
Barrachina has indicated that “people have the right to know the truth, and why spending in the public sector has increased by 47%.” For his part, Vox spokesperson, José María Llanos, has highlighted that “the irregularities in contracting are very serious: Public contracting has increased by more than 35% during the Botánico government.”
The idea is that the creation of the commission is approved in one of the plenary sessions in February, although neither of the two leaders have wanted to say what their proposal for appearances will be.
This is the first major proposal – apart from the joint amendments to the Accompaniment and Budget Law – that both parties register together and it makes clear the intention of calling into question the management of the two governments chaired by Ximo Puig. The investigation commission is a common weapon of attrition for the political rival that is activated when there is a change of majority to supervise the management of the previous rulers.
Before the announcement of the investigation commission’s request, the new PSPV ombudsman, José Muñoz, had accused the PP of “using public resources to finance a Kitchen operation in the Valencian Community” with the aim of “persecuting and cornering the Socialist Party”. Muñoz, who has spoken of a “dirty war” and a “plan hatched” by the “heirs of Eduardo Zaplana,” has made it clear that they are not going to be able to silence his party.
Furthermore, he regretted that President Carlos Mazón “tries to criminalize the work of public officials who have already proven in their reports that everything has been done correctly.” Finally, Muñoz stressed that “the previous management would not have been so bad when Mr. Mazón has kept the person responsible for the Public Sector with the Consell del Botànic in his position.”
