The Socialist Group in the Cabildo of Lanzarote has denounced what they consider “an authentic despotic exercise” by the president of the institution, Oswaldo Betancort, by preventing the inclusion in the agenda of the Plenary of a question from the PSOE related to the awarding of the million-dollar advisory contract that the Art, Culture and Tourism Centers awarded to the company Cumbre 8.
Ariagona González, spokesperson for the Socialist Group, has described what happened as “an unprecedented outrage, which violates the most elementary right to information and democratic control of the government's action.” According to her, the PSOE had already requested access to the contracting file on two occasions, without obtaining a response.
“Oswaldo Betancort's attitude forces us to ask ourselves if there is something to hide in that award and if there has been any type of irregular behavior by those who intervened in it,” González points out.
The socialist spokesperson insists that the opacity with which this contract has been managed awakens “more than well-founded suspicions”, especially due to the criteria used in the evaluation of the offers. “From what has transpired so far, it is impossible not to suspect the existence of partiality when assessing criteria with a strong subjective burden,” she adds.
For González, the most serious thing is that this refusal prevents the PSOE from exercising its obligation and its right to oversee the action of the government group. “Not only is the documentation denied to us, now we are also prevented from asking questions in the Plenary. This is an abusive exercise of power that also reflects enormous cowardice.”
From the Socialist Group they warn that, if Oswaldo Betancort does not rectify and deliver the requested documentation and give the pertinent explanations in the plenary session, they will be forced to go to the competent bodies in matters of transparency and, if necessary, resort to the courts.
“The Cabildo is not a private estate of the president. Lanzarote does not deserve this level of obscurantism and arrogance,” González concluded.