Consider «curious» that Montero and Fernández «were not aware» of the issue and demand «explanations» again
The mayor of Seville, the popular José Luis Sanz, has once again pointed out on Friday the report from the Central Operative Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard that indicates an alleged «economic benefit» for the former socialist Minister of Transport, José Luis Ábalos, with the replacement of the stays of the Centenario bridge and the viaduct extension; warning that the «kickbacks» may have «harmed» the project, which indeed is suffering from «enormous delays».
In statements to the media, the mayor has recalled the «enormous delays» that the mentioned project is facing, works contracted in 2021 for an initial amount of 86.4 million euros to the UTE formed by Acciona Construcción, Tecade, and Freyssinet; delays that the central government attributes to the previous lack of steel supply due to the war resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine; while the current cost of the works exceeds 128 million euros.
In this regard, while the investigation points, according to the UCO, to «alleged economic benefits owed after the award of public works, mainly to Acciona SA, especially through its subsidiary Acciona Construcción SA»; Sanz has warned that «perhaps these kickbacks have harmed the deadlines» of the project, «causing enormous delays».
«We are waiting for some leader of the PSOE to explain or request explanations» from the current Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, Sanz emphasized, warning that «the tons of mud coming out of the Moncloa have reached Seville», because «it seems that this was the usual way of acting of the PSOE»; and «the silence makes one think that some leaders of the PSOE in Seville were aware of this situation».
MONTERO AND FERNÁNDEZ
In particular, he mentioned the first Vice President of the Government, Minister of Finance, and Secretary General of the PSOE-A, María Jesús Montero; and the Secretary General of the PSOE in Seville and President of the Diputación, Javier Fernández, regarding whom he considered it «curious» that they «were not aware» of the matter.
In the investigated conversations, involving Koldo, Ábalos, and until this Thursday the Secretary of Organization of the PSOE, Santos Cerdán, it is observed that they were trying to collect «alleged economic benefits owed after the award of public works, mainly to Acciona SA, especially through its subsidiary Acciona Construcción SA».
One of the works that, according to the UCO, would have generated an «economic benefit» for Ábalos is the replacement of the stays of the Centenario Bridge in Seville, which supports the SE-30 highway, works contracted in 2021 for an initial amount of 86.4 million euros and whose total budget now amounts to 128.74 million euros, being one of the main projects of the Ministry of Transport in the city of Seville, as the works are still ongoing with a significant delay.
The Civil Guard highlights a conversation from November 2018 in which it is evident that Transport was preparing this tender, but it points out that Cerdán «was already aware of the intention to tender said work and the details of it». The report states that in April 2019, Cerdán urged Koldo to «close» the tender. The former ministerial advisor and Ábalos later commented in a meeting «the pressure Santos was exerting».
THE «WORK HAD TO BE UNBLOCKED»
From the excerpts of the recordings, the agents emphasize that Koldo «reported that it was Pedro Saura who was blocking the publication of the Centenario Bridge work, and how he asked Ábalos to speak with the undersecretary to unblock the situation.» The then Director of Highways, Javier Herrero, pressured to «unblock the work in Seville,» according to the transcriptions.
In this case, the tender announcement was published in September 2020. In January 2021, Herrero informed Koldo that Acciona was «the cheapest»; it received a technical score of 100 points. The award was formalized on May 17, for 71 million euros, although in 2023 it was extended to 102.8 million, although more recently the «total» budget has been set at 128.7 million, a figure provided by the Government.
