The PSOE denounces a "major scandal" of the Centers for the awarding of more than three million to a consultant

Benjamín Perdomo criticizes the millionaire spending on studies that do not solve the tourism crisis, the lack of housing and water cuts, while the consultant benefited also drafted the bases of another public tender

February 18 2025 (06:57 WET)
Updated in February 18 2025 (08:42 WET)
Benjamin Perdomo
Benjamin Perdomo

The PSOE of Lanzarote denounces the "major scandal" surrounding the awarding of more than three million euros to the consultant Marcos Cohen, sole partner of the company Cumbre 8 Islas, by the Centers for Art, Culture and Tourism. A millionaire contract that will not provide real solutions to the serious crisis that the island is suffering, while Lanzarote remains collapsed by tourist saturation, the lack of housing and water cuts.

In addition to the unjustifiable expenditure of public money, the PSOE points out that the valuation report that allowed this award was carried out by the Chamber of Commerce under a management assignment from the CACT. This fact coincides temporarily with the fact that, on those dates, the Chamber itself awarded close to 200,000 euros to Marcos Cohen himself.

The socialist councilor in the Cabildo, Benjamín Perdomo, has been blunt: "It is a scandal. While Lanzarote is sinking into tourist saturation, the collapse of the housing market, water cuts and an unsustainable model, Coalición Canaria and Oswaldo Betancort are handing over a millionaire check to a private consultancy to justify their inaction," he said.

The socialist councilor has asked himself "how is it possible that more than three million are spent on this, when in land management, which is where the key decisions are made, they have not invested even half of that amount?"

"But the scandal does not end there. Marcos Cohen, the same consultant who has taken this millionaire contract, also drafted the specifications for the one million euro tender of the Lanzarote Foreign Promotion Society (SPEL) to raise awareness among tourists. In other words, he himself designed the process for a large public contract and then ended up being awarded another key contract," adds Perdomo.

Likewise, the socialist councilor points out that the Cabildo has in its possession the island's carrying capacity study, which makes it clear that Lanzarote is at its limit, and yet, "they have neither approved a moratorium, nor have they limited the number of visitors, nor have they ordered the territory. They have done absolutely nothing. But they have found more than three million euros to pay a consultancy. If they really wanted to transform the tourism model, they would start by applying real measures instead of spending millions on studies that only serve to justify their inaction."

"While the island is drowning, the Cabildo continues to finance private businesses instead of defending Lanzarote and its people. We don't need more studies, we need action," concludes Perdomo.

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