The Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office has filed a complaint against the current Secretary of State for Tourism, Fernando Vald?s Verelst, and against 15 other charges for the management of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (Aecid) during the Government of Jos? Luis Rodr?guez Zapatero.
According to sources from the public prosecutor’s office, the criminal initiative was launched last July and is currently being processed by a Madrid investigating court for crimes of administrative prevarication, embezzlement of public funds and fraud in contracting. Among those investigated is also the ambassador to Mexico, Juan L?pez-D?riga, according to El Confidencial .
Vald?s Verelst, son of the Constitutional Court magistrate investigated for a possible crime of gender violence , has held the position of Secretary of State since this summer. The Council of Ministers appointed him on July 14 after two years as undersecretary of Industry, Commerce and Tourism. Previously, he had also held various positions in Aecid and in the Ministries of Economy, Public Administrations and Industry.
According to sources in his environment, Vald?s has made himself available to justice to collaborate in the investigation. These same sources add that, however, as the head of the department at the time under investigation, he did not sign any of the administrative acts that are part of the case where various hiring files awarded by Aecid are under suspicion. Apostillan that he was not a senior position in the Agency with responsibility in its management.
?In the facts under investigation, the Secretary of State had no decision-making capacity. The complaint goes in a broad sense, directed against all those who were at that time in the Aecid, including officials who have exercised the function of high office with governments of different political signs, “added the department headed by Vald?s through a statement. , which has added: “We hope that Justice will clarify this situation.”
Vald?s is the second senior government official to be investigated. Also accused is Juan Manuel del Olmo , Podemos communication secretary and current member of the cabinet of vice president Pablo Iglesias. The 42nd investigating judge of Madrid, Juan Jos? Escalonilla, has summoned him to testify next November in the case opened on the alleged irregularities in the accounts of the left wing formation.