The spokesperson for the Socialist Group in the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Ariagona González, has considered it "very serious and unprecedented" that Oswaldo Betancort has used the Cabildo to defend Pedro San Ginés in the criminal proceedings he faces, as a result of the complaints filed by Insular de Aguas de Lanzarote, S.A. (INALSA) and the Water Consortium of Lanzarote.
González recalled that San Ginés is being investigated for irregularly hiring his personal friend Ignacio Calatayud. He is also accused of having known and tolerated undue charges by the lawyer who seized judicial costs belonging to INALSA and the Consortium for his benefit. The total damage caused to both entities amounts to two million euros, according to the investigation carried out by the Central Operational Unit of the Civil Guard (UCO).
Oswaldo Betancort blocked the lawyer of the Consortium and INALSA
González's statements came after learning that, "just four days after taking office, Oswaldo Betancort instructed the lawyer of INALSA and the Consortium to refrain from submitting any writing in the judicial proceedings of both public entities against Pedro San Ginés".
This arbitrary decision by Betancort prevented the lawyer from responding to the allegations of the defense of San Ginés and Calatayud in two proceedings of enormous importance, since INALSA and the Consortium had promoted two fundamental incidents for the development of the proceeding.
Firstly, the two public entities opposed the surprising accumulation of cases that the Provincial Court had ordered and, secondly, they had promoted the recusal of the head of the Investigating Court number 4, Ricardo Fiestras Gil, given his public and notorious friendship with Ignacio Calatayud.
After preventing the appointed lawyer from submitting any writing, Oswaldo Betancort instructed the solicitor, behind the back of the legal direction that had been carrying out the proceedings up to that moment, to withdraw from both incidents, alluding to an alleged "institutional respect".
A report tailored to the defense of San Ginés
Finally, at least as far as the known facts are concerned so far, the deputy director of the Legal Advice of the Cabildo of Lanzarote issued a report in the form of allegations that was sent belatedly and on her own initiative to the Court.
The contribution of these alleged allegations implies, in practice, ceasing to exercise the prosecution, since it fully assumes the theses of the defense, denying that there was an irregular hiring and endorsing the appropriation by Ignacio Calatayud of the judicial costs.
The issuance of the aforementioned report and its referral to the Court is extremely serious since it is signed, as has been pointed out, by the deputy director of the Legal Advice of the Cabildo, Maria Eugenia Torres, whose friendship with Ignacio Calatayud is publicly known, to the point that she was proposed by the lawyer as a defense witness in the proceedings on which she has now reported.
An irregular action against what was agreed by the Consortium and INALSA
Faced with this accumulation of irregularities, the Socialist Party wonders how it is possible that writings are presented against the accusation without any of the plaintiffs having agreed to it, who are neither the Cabildo nor its president, but INALSA and the Consortium.
It should be remembered that the actions undertaken by both entities are the result of a report by the manager of the Consortium and INALSA and a powerful and decisive legal report that recommended filing the corresponding judicial proceedings, a decision that was assumed and endorsed by the Assembly of the Consortium and the Board of Directors of INALSA.
Likewise, the Assembly of the Consortium and the Board of Directors of INALSA ratified the recusal of Judge Ricardo Fiestras, understanding that it was the most prudent thing to do for the defense of both entities without, surprisingly, the Court having requested the conformity of said bodies to proceed to render the recusal ineffective.
The socialist spokesperson has explained that, from what is known so far, all the decisions of Oswaldo Betancort have been adopted irregularly, without formalizing any file and without having legal reports that support his arbitrary executed decisions, in addition, supplanting the governing bodies of the Consortium and INALSA and contravening previous agreements of the same.
The PSOE demands that Oswaldo Betancort stop protecting San Ginés
Given the seriousness of these events, González has announced that the Socialist Group will request a copy of everything done in the proceedings against Pedro San Ginés and Ignacio Calatayud from the day Oswaldo Betancort took office, as well as all the instructions that have been given to the lawyer and the solicitor appointed for the direction and legal representation of the Consortium and INALSA.
«After receiving the requested information, we will assess the measures of all kinds that we have to adopt» explained the socialist spokesperson who concluded by demanding that Oswaldo Betancort put an end to this type of maneuver with which he only intends to protect his party colleague at the expense of public interests.
