The municipal group of Lanzarote En Pie (LEP) in the Arrecife City Council has announced that it will request the appearance in the next plenary session of the council of both the mayor, Astrid Pérez, and the Councilor for Tourism and Commerce, Armando Santana, to give explanations about the dismissal of a municipal worker, Miguel Ángel Leal, after the cancellation of the Sunset Festival.
The spokesperson for LEP, Leticia Padilla, has announced that the adoption of the measure has taken place after “accessing the devastating document presented in the General Registry of the Arrecife City Council by the dismissed worker” who in it holds the councilor Armando Santana himself, an advisor to the Mayor's Office and the mayor herself, Astrid Pérez, responsible “for not having processed the file in compliance with the procedures established by law.”
The municipal group wanted to remember that the Sunset Festival was to be held on October 15, 22 and 23 in the Islas Canarias park, as announced at a joint press conference by the mayor and the Councilor for Commerce and Tourism of the Arrecife City Council. However, the event scheduled for the 15th was suspended without prior notice and without explanations to the attending public. Subsequently, the municipal council argued that said event lacked authorization from Costas. Finally, the organization of the Sunset Festival decided to cancel the following performances on October 22 and 23 “due to delays in administrative procedures and concessions by the Arrecife City Council,” according to the production company itself.
On the other hand, Leticia Padilla pointed out that her municipal group requested access to the complete Sunset Festival file from Councilor Armando Santana “more than ten days ago and it has not yet been provided to us.” Likewise, the councilor of Lanzarote En Pie stated that “we don't even know if there is an open file on the collaboration of the city council in the event, it would be quite irregular if there wasn't.”
In addition, Padilla explained that “the document registered by the affected municipal worker concludes with the announcement of filing a complaint, not only for threats but also for inducing the commission of a crime, should the appeal presented not prosper.”
The spokesperson for Lanzarote En Pie stated that “this situation is quite worrying and serious because it shows that there is no one at the helm of the Arrecife City Council, that no one wants to assume their political responsibilities and that they are acting improvising.”
Finally, Leticia Padilla stated that “Astrid Pérez must stop acting on impulse and assume her role as mayor, there are too many irregularities here and a technician cannot be the scapegoat to cover up political incompetence.”
