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Political tensions in L'Ampolla: reply and counter-reply over minor contracts

Millorem l’Ampolla (ERC) responds to Junts per l’Ampolla and PSC, criticizing the local government's management of minor contracts.

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IA

Generic image of a municipal building with Mediterranean architecture.

Local politics in L'Ampolla are experiencing a period of tension with an exchange of statements between parties following the Prosecutor's investigation into alleged irregularities in minor contracts.

Political life in L'Ampolla is in a state of high alert, with an intense exchange of statements between the different political parties. After nearly two weeks of tension, Junts per l’Ampolla and the local PSC branch issued their statements, and this Tuesday it was the turn of Millorem l’Ampolla, linked to ERC, with a new reply to the majority party in the governing team. The trigger for this escalation has been the Prosecutor's decision to open an investigation into alleged irregularities in the local executive, primarily focused on the use of minor contracts.
Last week, Junts per l’Ampolla publicly defended the mayor, Francesc Arasa, and his team, lamenting what they consider a judicialization of politics by the Republicans, with the sole aim of "winning in court what they did not win at the ballot box". The Republican response was swift, criticizing the government's initial silence and stating that explanations "arrived late and poorly are not transparency".
According to Millorem l’Ampolla, Sumem-Junts' claim of correct City Council management is false. They point out that the Prosecutor's office has detected a continuous breach of contracting regulations for at least nine years, with 103 monthly concatenated invoices for communication services amounting to approximately 150,000 euros, and 84 minor lighting contracts for a similar amount. These facts, according to the Republicans, violate the principles of competition, legality, and general interest.
The Republican statement also questions the "supposed integrity" of the mayor, arguing that an honest mayor would not fragment contracts, would not allow undue payments to the party president's company, nor would they sustain an irregular contracting system for years. They emphasize that these practices are supported by reports from Antifraud and the fiscal complaint, and that prevarication and embezzlement are acts of corruption.
In response to Sumem-Junts' argument that these are "simple administrative irregularities", Millorem l’Ampolla distinguishes between a one-off error and a pattern maintained for almost ten years, with tailor-made files, undue payments, and ignored warnings. They state that the responsibility for the open criminal investigation and the imputations falls on Francesc Arasa, as his obligation was to alert the justice system to the systematic refusal to comply with the law.

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