Alicante Left Demands Urgent Commission Over Information Concealment
Opposition groups call for explanations regarding the management of technical appearances before the VPP commission.
By Neus Mollà i Roca
••3 min read
IA
Generic image of a microphone on a podium, representing a municipal commission session.
Left-wing groups in the Alicante City Council have requested an urgent session of the commission investigating irregularities in VPP management, citing alleged concealment of information regarding technicians' willingness to cooperate.
Left-wing groups represented in the Alicante City Council, PSOE, Compromís, and EU-Podem, on Friday demanded an urgent extraordinary session of the municipal commission overseeing alleged irregularities in the management and purchase of private initiative public protection housing (VPP). These homes were built by the Residencial Les Naus cooperative on municipal land auctioned by the City Council between 2018 and 2022.
The request is based on the fact that several officials, initially scheduled to appear, had expressed in writing their willingness to collaborate or provide relevant information. However, this circumstance was not communicated to the commission members or municipal groups in a timely and proper manner. Five of the first six technicians called to appear last Tuesday exercised their right not to participate in the commission.
At least two of them, linked to the Heritage area, indicated their predisposition to prepare additional written reports if required. This offer, according to opposition groups, was not conveyed by the local government, from the Popular Party (PP), to the other political groups with municipal representation. At that time, it was only reported that the technicians had declined the possibility of appearing.
“
"We want to know who gave the order to hide from the commission the willingness of officials to collaborate, because it is extremely serious. We will not allow a commission created to clarify a windfall in the allocation of public housing to become a tool to cover it up."
The document registered by PSOE, Compromís, and EU Podem considers that there may have been a concealment of relevant information for clarifying the investigated facts and an alteration of the normal functioning of the commission. Furthermore, it points to a violation of the right of municipal groups to exercise their oversight function, directly affecting the principles of transparency and accountability.
“
"We are fed up with them lying, hiding information, and concealing documentation. Fed up with this process, which seeks to investigate this fraud against Alicante residents, being delayed. We will demand and clarify responsibilities."
For all these reasons, they have requested an urgent, single-issue session of the commission to account for the described facts, clarify responsibilities regarding the failure to transfer information, and to be expressly informed about decisions made by municipal bodies or officials concerning the management of these appearances. They also demand guaranteed full access to all existing documentation and communications.
“
"If there were technicians willing to collaborate, the commission had the right to know. You cannot play with a commission created by the plenary. Hiding relevant information empties the democratic control function that we must exercise of its content."
