The PP closes Armengol in the Senate for the 'Koldo case': "It is part of the plot"

Juanma Lamet Madrid

Esteban Urreiztieta

Eduardo Colom Palma

Madrid

Palm

Updated Wednesday, February 28, 2024-23:43

• 'Koldo Case' The Balearic Government renounces the European funds that Armengol received for the 'ultrafake' masks

• PP Feijóo directly accuses Sánchez of the Koldo plot: "You knew it and covered it up for more than three years"

The PP sees the president of Congress, Francina Armengol (PSOE), "very nervous" after the revelations about the purchase of masks from the main company in the

Koldo case

when she presided over the Government of the Balearic Islands, in 2020. They believe that the publication in this diary of evidence confirming that she attributed the purchase expense to the EU after knowing that the masks were useless "points her out directly" and makes her "responsible."

Up to what point?

They want to clarify that, say sources from the Genoa management.

That is why the PP gives the highest priority to his appearance in the Senate investigation commission: "It is key, because it is the third authority of the State and what we have learned now is very serious," they say.

"She has to give many explanations" about her role as president of the Balearic Islands in the pandemic and because it is "unprecedented" for the highest authority of Congress to appear in the Upper House in full exercise of her parliamentary functions.

For the PP, both Armengol and the former president of the Canary Islands and now minister, Ángel Víctor Torres "are part of the plot."

"We have that appearance marked in red along with that of Pedro Sánchez and Torres," they say.

The PP was going to decide the shifts of its commission on the

Koldo case

, but first wants to know what role the plot played in the rescue of

Air Europa

.

Ábalos acknowledged yesterday that Víctor de

Aldama

- one of those investigated for complicity with his advisor Koldo García - "was interested" in the state injection into the airline in the pandemic, but denied that such intervention had any significance.

"Armengol is one of the main figures that we are going to wear down in parliament," sources from Genoa tell this newspaper.

In addition to Armengol and Torres, the PP will loom against Puente, Marlaska and Bolaños.

And, of course, against Pedro Sánchez, who is already accused of not acting against the plot despite knowing about it.

"Sánchez's corruption either makes it cheaper, or the amnesty or the pardon," the sources conclude.

Before Armengol gives "explanations" about his "responsibility", the PP has taken action on the matter from the Balearic Government.

The regional president,

Marga Prohens

, will withdraw the European certification from the file of 3.7 million euros paid in 2020 by the Government chaired by Armengol to the company investigated for paying alleged bribes to Ábalos' advisor.

The current regional Executive has given internal instructions to quarantine that payment, which ended up being endorsed by the Armengol government to the European Union without informing it that the purchase of masks that was paid for with those funds had turned out to be a fiasco.

This movement by the Ministry of Economy and Finance headed by the

popular

Antoni Costa

was announced yesterday, after

EL MUNDO

exclusively revealed an unpublished document, processed in 2020 by the Armengol Government to charge the European coffers for that expense paid. in the middle of the pandemic.

The form signed on November 19, 2020 to validate the funds and pass the controls did not reflect that the masks received did not conform to what was paid, were of low quality and therefore were unusable from the first moment.

The Government continued to pursue the file and charged it to European funds despite the fact that the Executive itself had been handling a report from the

National Center for Protection Means

for half a year before that warned about the poor quality of the masks purchased from the scheme, which They let filter up to eight times more than allowed.

In fact, the material was discarded almost immediately and remains unused to this day in a warehouse of the public health department of the Balearic Government.

The Ministry of Finance has verified that when processing that request for European funds, the Armengol Executive did not attach any report that reflected the irregularities.

33 initiatives

While setting up its frontal attack from the Senate, the PP accelerates its offensive in Congress against the alleged political "responsible" for the case.

The spokesperson for the

Popular Party

in Congress,

Miguel Tellado

, yesterday presented a battery of 33 initiatives on what he calls the "Sanchez case."

Among them, two requests for an urgent appearance in the Plenary Session of the Lower House of the Ministers of the Presidency and Transportation, Félix Bolaños and Óscar Puente, respectively.

The text of the initiatives demands to know "the responsibility in relation to the alleged collection of illegal commissions in contracts related to the purchase of masks."

In addition, the PP has demanded six urgent appearances in the Transport and Finance commissions.

They want the presidents of Adif, Puertos del Estado and Correos to attend, whom they summon twice.