María Jesús Tovar, vicepresident of the Cabildo of Lanzarote and general secretary of the PP of Lanzarote, explained this Tuesday on the microphones of Radio Lanzarote - Onda Cero how she stands regarding the investigation by the Court of Auditors, which considers her allegedly responsible for an accounting shortfall worth 88,000 euros of public funds from the Arrecife City Council, during her time as councilor for Social Welfare of the city between 2019 and 2023.
As you will recall, the former councilwomen of that same area, Eva de Anta and Victoria Sande, both from the PSOE, also cited as responsible for the same act of prior actions.
Tovar has made it clear that "it is a totally administrative issue, since they have wanted to make it seem as if it were a criminal matter... I am not charged or investigated, we are under alleged accounting responsibility".
The vice president has explained that the aid intended for people who were in a situation of vulnerability and precariousness was granted in 2016, when Tovar was not in the Government group, but rather Eva de Anta and Victoria Sande were and "with all reports in order"."In February 2021, I have a technical and legal report saying that families in precarious situations are coming and some of those families who didn't even have food had not justified the subsidy they had been given in 2016. So in the end, what was done was a decree based on the report and what is prescribed is the sanction. Thanks to that, these families were able to eat," he continued. In this regard, he stressed that, "despite everything they have said, I would do it again because I am not in administration to not help people."Furthermore, she has criticized some reports accusing her of corruption. "They want to make it seem as if the Prosecutor's Office has come and to give headlines as if I had kept money," she assured
Court of Auditors File
Likewise, regarding the Court of Auditors process, she indicated that "none of the three of us have said that they should not continue with the file, but rather that each one has their responsibility and we are waiting to see what happens, but each investigator will have to go... there are even retired technicians who granted the aid in good faith because the only thing I have seen from the technicians in social services is that they wanted to help people".The vice-president of the island Council has also explained that "what I would have done was request a report to see if there is accounting responsibility or not, if those 78,000 euros without justification supposedly affected the Arrecife City Council". "The City Council appears, we go to the Court of Auditors in Madrid and they make us declare the three of us in the same way because it is the reality, but when the jurist of the Consistory declares that **there is no accounting responsibility**", she continued. María Jesús Tovar revealed during the program that **her house "has been embargoed since May of last year"**
At the entrance of the Court of Auditors in Madrid, Tovar has said that a photographer was waiting for her at the door. "I only ask that, if someone has to testify, a photographer not be sent because it is not a pleasant experience".
Regarding the non-existence of accounting responsibility, the insular secretary pointed out that "the ex officio report which states that there is no accounting responsibility and that the aid was destined for that purpose... this report took two months to be sent to the Court of Auditors because the PSOE filed a motion for it to be sent and on the same day as the motion it was sent".
"I have thought about resigning"
The vice-president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote also revealed that "at some moments I have thought about resigning because I have felt that I am not here for this and what they are doing is not normal". "When you see your family suffer it is what hurts you the most, that is when I say what am I doing here, but then I recover because I have very good friends and colleagues who do not leave me at any moment", she said"As of today, I can say that I am stronger than ever and if some want me to leave, I am not going to leave," he continued. Regarding the disappointment with some people, he has not wanted to give names from the Popular Party, but "if there is a very big disappointment because there are lines that cannot be crossed."Regarding the internal crisis of the PP of Lanzarote and the possibility of a caretaker committee calming the waters in the party, Tovar stated that "the party is very united despite there being some people making noise". "In the beginning, I haven't heard anything about a caretaker committee and Astrid has been fighting for the party for many years, that also must be recognized and I don't think they will impose a caretaker committee on her," he concluded.
