Armengol admits that he knew Koldo García

The president of Congress and former Balearic president, Francina Armengol, admitted this Monday that she knew Koldo García Izaguirre as an advisor to the then Minister of Transport, José Luis Ábalos, and though she doesn’t bear in mind all of their communications from 4 years in the past, she has denied ” with full certainty and completeness” to speak to him about hiring any firm.

That is how Armengol started his intervention within the Congressional fee that investigates emergency contracts for the acquisition of medical provides throughout a pandemic, wherein he vindicated his administration of the pandemic within the Balearic Islands.

Within the morning, the previous basic director of the Well being Service of the Balearic Islands (IB-Salut) Manuel Palomino had acknowledged earlier than the fee that in April 2020 the Ministry of Transport gave them the contact of Koldo García Izaguirre and that he was the then advisor to José Luis Ábalos who known as him and put him in touch with the corporate Soluciones de Gestión for the acquisition of masks value 3.7 million euros.

In his preliminary presentation, Armengol defined that he communicated all through the pandemic with totally different members of the central Authorities, amongst whom have been ministers resembling José Luis Ábalos to deal with the transportation state of affairs of the islands, Minister Yolanda Díaz for ERTEs or the vp Nadia Calviño for support to firms.

“However I wish to be trustworthy, I do not bear in mind all of the communications from 4 years in the past. And that is why I do not rule out that Mr. García was amongst these individuals. What I can rule out, with full certainty and full readability, is that he spoke with this man. of hiring any firm. And I can say it with full readability, as a result of I’ve by no means performed it, with him or with anybody,” Armengol proclaimed in relation to the masks contract with Administration Options.

Moreover, he has specified that he didn’t know Koldo García from the get together, however somewhat as Ábalos’s companion at public occasions within the Balearic Islands, and he doesn’t rule out having spoken with him on a few of these visits, however “by no means” about contracts.

They have been liable for the well being service

As he has defended, the work methodology that they adopted “scrupulously” was that the provision contacts that arrived at the moment have been channeled to these liable for the Well being Service, “who have been accountable for evaluating the comfort of every of the operations.” .

“We did it this manner as a result of it was our obligation to tell the Well being Service who was searching for the fabric. This and different operations went by way of the Authorities Council on Could 8, 2020, wherein emergency contracts value 29.6 million euros,” added Armengol.

That is the “solely time” wherein Armengol has contact with this file, as he has maintained, though he has indicated that he has not identified the identify of this firm linked to the Koldo plot till latest months. “Choices concerning the buy of medical provides have been made by the contracting our bodies of the Well being Service autonomously and with technical standards,” he harassed.

On this regard, she said that she was not concerned within the processing of information and that she is aware of the precise particulars of the case associated to the Administration Options firm as a result of she has studied them scrupulously to attend this investigation fee.

Proposals got here from all events

As he has associated, on the time of the pandemic he obtained gives from all sides, citing an event wherein there have been individuals from the PP who informed him that they knew somebody in China: “I used to be grateful, as a result of at the moment we wanted to purchase and other people understood that they wished to assist us, not that they wished to rob us.

Alongside these strains, the previous socialist president of the Balearic Islands has denied that there was “political strain” on officers or members of the regional authorities to contract medical provides with a particular firm.

And relating to the declare file, Armengol has defined that when she stopped being president she made a switch doc for the brand new head of the Balearic Government, Marga Prohens, wherein this matter was recorded.

“I informed the brand new president, if there may be something you wish to know, and I used to be not referring to this matter, as a result of I didn’t find out about this matter, but when there’s something you want, as a result of I feel you will need to have the opinion of the one that is leaving. “Properly, I am at your disposal. He by no means known as me and clearly he by no means stated something to me,” he stated.

Lastly, Armengol has defended that he has by no means spoken with former Minister Ábalos about this concern, not even after his expulsion from the PSOE following this plot: “I’ve no want in my head to ask Mr. Ábalos for something.”