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Wednesday, December 11, 2024

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office sues the president of the Consell de Ibiza for ‘La vida Islados’

Vicent Marí regrets that he has not yet been able to give his version of events on the corruption case and that everything is based "on the PSOE's story".

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office of the Balearic Islands has filed a complaint in the Court of Instruction number 4 of Ibiza against the president of the Consell de Ibiza, Vicent Marí, for an alleged crime of corruption for the special tourism promotion campaign ‘La vida Islados’, approved through an emergency channel before the first summer of the pandemic.

The curruption case came into the hands of the Public Prosecutor’s Office from the Anti-Corruption Office of the Balearic Islands, under the Balearic Parliament, which, after receiving two complaints on this issue, a representative from the socialist group in the Consell, decided to discontinue the investigation and refer the case to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, observing that the facts could constitute a crime of corruption.

The Consell awarded the shooting and production of the short film ‘La vida Islados’ by emergency means, without public or negotiated tender, to Fuera de Escena Ibiza SL with an initially planned cost of 250,000 euros. The then deputy auditor of the institution issued a report of objection on the payment of an invoice to this company amounting to 162,257 euros, understanding that the contract was “null and void” for not complying with the conditions of the decree of urgent measures of the State to address the economic impact of the pandemic and urged to initiate the ex officio review.

However, the president lifted the objection of the deputy comptroller (now comptroller) with another report from a lawyer of the institution (the head of the Presidency Service) which concluded that an emergency contract was not subject to prior audit and that, in addition, it was justified to apply this type of extraordinary processing to the campaign to attract tourists during the first summer of covid.

The link with the PP and suspected corruption

The president has always defended that it was a situation of “extreme gravity” to try to avoid a season without tourism after the confinement and closure of borders. In total, the Consell de Ibiza awarded several tourism promotion contracts worth 750,000 euros.

The PSOE’s complaint also warned of the link with the PP of the company hired to shoot and produce the short advertising film. Specifically, at the time the contracting was closed, June 2020, the sole administrator of Fuera de Escena Ibiza was Míriam Juan, who held that position since June 2013 and who was councilor of Santa Eulària in the ranks of the PP between 2007 and 2011 with Vicent Marí in the mayor’s office.

Juan ceased as sole administrator of Fuera de Escena Ibiza on September 14th, 2020, three months after the contracting of the spot and the campaign ‘La vida Islados’ and after the PSOE had already denounced alleged irregularities in this matter.

For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.

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