Blas Acosta's appointment as Deputy Minister of Economy divides the PSOE and Podemos in the Canarian Government

The purple formation has shown its "total rejection" to the entry into the regional Executive of "a person with pending judicial cases for alleged corruption and with a request for a sentence of more than 7 years"

March 10 2021 (19:42 WET)
Updated in March 10 2021 (21:14 WET)
Image of the presentation of the "Pact of the Flowers" between the PSOE, Podemos, NC and ASG
Image of the presentation of the "Pact of the Flowers" between the PSOE, Podemos, NC and ASG

The Coordination Council of Podemos Canarias has agreed to show its "total rejection" of the appointment of the former president of the Cabildo of Fuerteventura, Blas Acosta, as the new Deputy Minister of Economy of the Government of the Canary Islands, of which the purple party is a part as a partner of the PSOE, NC and ASG.

The formation has urged the Socialist Party to reflect on the "suitability" of putting at the head of the archipelago's economy "a person with pending judicial cases for alleged corruption, and with a request for a sentence of more than 7 years by the Prosecutor's Office." In addition, it has launched a warning to its partner, recalling that "by mandate of the III Canary Citizen Assembly, the organization is obliged to submit the continuity of all government pacts of which they are part to the referendum of the militancy two years after their beginning, which in the case of the Government of the Canary Islands, will be in June and July of this year".

In a statement, Podemos points out that both in the "form" and in its "content", the appointment is "totally inadequate within a pact that calls itself progressive and of change", and emphasizes that its ethical code "flatly rejects" that people who have open judicial cases for possible corruption hold positions of public or political responsibility. Specifically, it recalls that Acosta is being prosecuted for alleged crimes of urban planning prevarication and disloyal administration during his time as councilor of Pájara.

 

The PSOE affirms that it does comply with its "ethical code"

For its part, the PSOE has also sent a press release this Wednesday supporting the appointment of its partner, who was initially going to be proposed to occupy the seat of senator for the autonomous community. Later, after the internal debate and the controversy it aroused, he renounced this option and days later his incorporation into the regional Executive was announced.

In its statement, the Socialist Party defends that Acosta complies "scrupulously" with the party's ethical code to occupy a public office in the archipelago. In this regard, it recalls that this ethical code establishes that "a public representative must resign from his position at the moment in which he is opened to oral trial by the judge in case of corruption".

The cases against the former president of Majorera are just at the moment prior to that opening of trial, given that the writings of the accusation have already been presented by the Public Prosecutor's Office. In this regard, the party alleges that the decision of the judge instructing the case is still "pending", but above all they maintain that the crimes imputed to him "do not form part of the cases taxed in the socialist ethical code in the field of corruption", contrary to what their government partners consider.

According to the socialists, the inclusion of Acosta in the Canarian Government "reinforces" the government team due to his "wide" political experience, his professional profile and "indisputable" management capacity, emphasizing that with "all certainty he will contribute to continue consolidating" the project "of progress committed to the citizens in this autonomous community".

 

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