José Luis Ábalos is no longer president of the Interior Commission of the Congress of Deputies. As elDiario.es has been able to confirm from socialist parliamentary sources, the former minister has renounced this Monday the responsibility he held in said Commission, which must meet this Wednesday with various initiatives on the agenda, including one from ERC on cases of “ corruption” that affect the State Security Forces.
For the moment, however, Ábalos has not renounced his membership as a deputy, as his own party has asked him to do this morning. After the Executive this Monday, the party has decided to demand that its former secretary of organization deliver the deputy’s minutes within a maximum period of 24 hours after the outbreak of the mask scandal within the Ministry of Transport.
As reported by the party spokesperson, the Federal Executive Commission of the Socialist Party decided this Monday “unanimously” to request former minister José Luis Ábalos to deliver his minutes to the Socialist Group. Peña has said that he hopes it will be done in “the next 24 hours” and they have “communicated” this to him.
“We know that José Luis Ábalos is not investigated or accused nor does his name appear in the investigation. We do not set ourselves up as judges, we do not judge, but despite everything we consider that there is a political responsibility,” said Esther Peña.
On Saturday, in an interview on La Sexta, Ábalos reaffirmed his defense in the face of the crisis over the mask plot and reiterated that he is not accused, wondering why he should leave his seat in Congress. Although he did admit that if the ‘Koldo case’ involving his former advisor had broken out when he was a member of the Government, he would have resigned.
Furthermore, the former Minister of Transport stated that the prosecutor confirmed that “the contracting procedure was correct.” “A few months ago, the Court of Accounts positively audited all contracts for medical supplies due to Covid,” he assured, “the prices paid were correct and well below what the Community of Madrid or the Madrid City Council paid.” .
Source: www.eldiario.es
