The president of the Cabildo, María Dolores Corujo, reported in this Friday's Plenary session a decree signed this very day, by which the previous Presidential Decree of December 30, 2019, is confirmed in all its terms, delegating to Councilor Juan Manuel Sosa Rodríguez the exercise of the powers of the Health and Health Planning Area, powers that he has been exercising as his sole dedication since then.
Throughout her speech, the president defended that, contrary to what was stated "insidiously" by the Canarian Coalition, "the administrative and economic situation of the councilor perfectly complies with the provisions of the Law."
Corujo recalled that this conflict, which she described as "infamy," began "with a blatant lie, when the Coalition accused the councilor of having usurped the spokespersonship of the nationalist group."
The president clarified that “Councilor Juan Manuel Sosa communicated to Public Function, within the time frame for it, his change of situation and his appointment as councilor of the Government Group.” In this regard, she specifies that "given the status of official of Juan Manuel Sosa, one of the few members of the staff of the Canarian Health Service with that status, the changes in his employment situation are not processed by the aforementioned SCS, but by the General Directorate of Public Function."
“The Canarian Coalition obtained incorrect information from the SCS in an unregulated manner, as Public Function had not communicated Sosa's change of situation to the SCS, and without further verification, they launched a real campaign of harassment and demolition against the councilor,” the president explained.
“The unfortunate thing is that when they realized that mistake, they did not have the gallantry and decency to admit that they were wrong and apologize,” she reproached.
"Public Function recognizes Sosa's right to receive his full salary"
"After the Canarian Coalition realized their real blunder, revealing a non-existent scandal, their strategy became to question the councilor's right to be released at the expense of the Autonomous Community," the president questioned.
Faced with these accusations, which reached the Parliament of the Canary Islands, the General Directorate of Public Function carried out a series of reports in which, according to Corujo, "it recognizes the right that the councilor has but makes a different interpretation about the administration to which the payment of his remuneration would correspond."
“In any case, and that is never told by the Canarian Coalition, that different interpretation pointed out three fundamental issues: The first, that the payments that the councilor has received are completely legal. The second, that the councilor has the right to be released in the special services situation that was recognized to him since December 30, 2019. And the third, that the councilor has the right to receive his salary as a civil servant at the expense of the Island Council, according to the interpretation of the General Directorate,” Corujo explained.
The reaction of the Cabildo
Faced with the aforementioned report, the president has confirmed that the Cabildo initiated a procedure to assume the payment of Juan Manuel Sosa's salaries and, in turn, reimburse the Autonomous Community for the amounts paid by it. However, in her appearance she pointed out that from the Cabildo's Intervention department they warned that "it was not appropriate to initiate such a file, given that no procedure had been initiated by the Community to that effect." For this reason, she explained that "the file was re-examined, reaching the conclusion that not only was it not necessary to reimburse those amounts, but that the obligation to pay fell on the Autonomous Community, in accordance with the first resolution of the General Directorate of Public Function, which continues to deploy all its effects."
“Councilor Juan Manuel Sosa continues to receive the salaries to which he is entitled as an official of the Autonomous Community,” defended the president, who has accused the Canarian Coalition of "lying once again." “The Cabildo never considered paying the Autonomous Community an alleged debt of Juan Manuel Sosa because that debt has never existed. The councilor has not received any amount unduly,” she stated.
Coalition cancels the request for appearance
Given the forcefulness of the explanations given by the president, the Canarian Coalition withdrew the request for appearance, to which the president stated: “There is no Sosa case. There is no Sosa scandal. There are no undue payments. The only scandal here is seeing how they constantly repeat a lie trying to tarnish the image of a councilor whose only mistake has been to give his trust to someone who has proven to be unworthy of it,” Corujo lamented during her appearance.
“Public Function has not said that the councilor has unduly received his remuneration as a civil servant. Public Function has not claimed from the councilor the amounts received to date. The only issue that is discussed is completely alien to the councilor and refers to the administration to which the payment of a remuneration to which the councilor is entitled corresponds. So the only thing that the Canarian Coalition may achieve is that it is the Cabildo instead of the Autonomous Community that has to take care of it,” the president reproached.
"Juan Manuel Sosa has followed the instructions of his party"
Finally, the president wanted to refer to the accusations of defection launched against the councilor and recalled that Juan Manuel Sosa was on the lists of the Canarian Coalition by an agreement signed with San Borondón, which established that both parties would go with a joint list. However, despite what was agreed, the Canarian Coalition presented the list as if it were only theirs.
“Precisely because of that circumstance, and some other breach, San Borondón broke the electoral alliance and ordered Juan Manuel Sosa to leave the spokespersonship of the Canarian Coalition. Subsequently, it is also San Borondón, and not Juan Manuel Sosa, who agrees with the PSOE on the inclusion of the councilor in the Government Group. What a paradox. Someone who has limited himself to complying with the instructions given by his party is accused of being a defector,” Corujo concluded.
