The spokesperson for the Socialist Group, Ariagona González, has accused Oswaldo Betancort of "blatantly lying" regarding the execution of the sentence that obliges the Lanzarote Water Consortium to return to its owners the land irregularly occupied by the public entity on which the tank that regulates the water supply to the population of Órzola is located.
González recalled that the conflict with the Órzola tank occurred during the last term of Pedro San Ginés, who, "despite being aware of the irregular occupation of a private property, chose to confront the family that owned the land in court and turn the procedure into a political weapon, given the status of councilor of the Cabildo of one of the family members".
The councilor points out that "the Consortium's action under the mandate of the previous president was so crude that it deserved the reproach of the courts in a harsh sentence" in which it was even accused the public entity of bad faith and in which it was forced to hand over the land and facilities to the owners of the property, leaving open the possibility that the landowners would claim from the Consortium the lost profits for the irregular occupation of their land for more than forty years.
The actions of Loli Corujo's government
The councilor explained that the sentence against the Consortium occurred during San Ginés's term and became final on December 23, 2020.
From that moment on, "Corujo's government carried out an exquisite management of the file, instructing the Consortium's Management to study and propose the most appropriate solution to the public interests, in accordance with the legal direction of the procedure, appointed by the previous president".
From the PSOE, they continue explaining that "after studying the different alternatives, which included the construction of a new tank on land different from the occupied one and the modification of the distribution network, it was found that the most economical solution was to accept the proposal made by the owners of the affected property, who also waived the right to demand lost profits in negotiations that were carried out directly by the lawyers of the family and the Water Consortium".
In view of the reports, the Consortium Assembly authorized the agreement with the family that owned the land, and when Oswaldo Betancort took office, it only remained to formalize the agreement and proceed with the payment agreed with the property.
González explained that "contrary to what Oswaldo Betancort stated in a note full of falsehoods, Loli Corujo's government diligently and scrupulously fulfilled its obligations, acting with the highest level of transparency".
"Oswaldo Betancort's whims"
As the socialist spokesperson has explained, "the problem has been created by Oswaldo Betancort, who paralyzed the signing of the agreement approved by the Consortium Assembly without any report to support his decision and without any motivation or explanation other than his will".
According to the councilor, "it is absolutely false that the Consortium has only had one month to solve this serious conflict". "Oswaldo Betancort took office on June 26, 2023, and four days later he was already changing the Consortium's and INALSA's lawyer in the proceedings against Pedro San Ginés and paralyzing the payment to the family that owns the land on which the Órzola tank is located, in both cases against what was agreed by the governing bodies of both entities".
"Now, after nine months of paralyzing the agreement without any justification or authorization, it is when the Court agrees to give Betancort a month to put an end to an action that lacks the slightest legal support and that is nothing more than an exercise of arbitrariness", González reproached.
The spokesperson has compared this show of authority by the Court with the requirements that forced Oswaldo Betancort to proceed with the demolitions of the skeletons of Costa Teguise, in which he was warned of the responsibility he would incur if he continued with his inexplicable and unacceptable obstructionism.
One last chance
The socialist councilor points out that "the paralysis of the order that ordered the delivery of the Órzola tank within a month, decreed by the lawyer of the Administration of Justice, grants Oswaldo Betancort an additional grace period to put an end to a conflict caused by his party colleague, which has been aggravated by his incomprehensible determination to re-politicize a purely civil matter".
For González, it is "unacceptable that Betancort continues to try to divert attention to the fact that Benjamín Perdomo, a socialist councilor, is part of the family affected by the illegal occupation of the property on which the Órzola tank is located".
"The key to this problem is not whether Benjamín Perdomo is part of the owning family, but in Oswaldo Betancort's determination to try to gain political advantage from that circumstance, just as Pedro San Ginés did with adverse results for the Consortium", González explained.
