The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office is investigating València's mayor, María José Catalá, and the president of the Port, Mar Chao, among other public officials, for alleged crimes of prevarication and influence peddling. These crimes were reportedly committed in personnel placement processes at the Consorcio València 2007 after its liquidation.
The spokesperson for Compromís in the City Council, Papi Robles, stated that one of the positions, that of Visit València, which the mayor cited as an example of a correct process, did not meet the requirements established in the call. According to Compromís, the investigation points to an organized system to place affiliated individuals in management positions while the Consorcio València 2007 was being liquidated, with processes suspected of violating the principles of equality, merit, and capacity, as indicated in the report by the State General Intervention Board.
The terms of the call were clear: it was necessary to prove public sector personnel status both at the time of application and at the time of formalizing the contract. For Compromís, the fact that this requirement was not met completely dismantles Catalá's defense and questions the validity of the process.
Councilor Ferran Puchades has requested documentation related to the process, including certifications that proved compliance with the requirements and the Job List of the Visit València Foundation, to clarify how this hiring was actually processed.
Meanwhile, the socialist spokesperson in the City Council, Borja Sanjuan, has demanded that María José Catalá's government immediately make public the meeting agenda of councilor José Marí Olano, the mayor's right-hand man, to clarify all the meetings he has held in secret to offer irregular job positions in the València City Council.
The socialists have filed an expanded complaint with the Prosecutor's Office to also investigate Olano, after audios of him offering tailor-made public positions to former employees of the Consorcio València 2007 were published. Mayor María José Catalá has stated that councilor José Marí Olano's agenda is public, as are those of the other councilors, and has insisted that all necessary documentation will be provided to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.
