Regional Government Officials in Fraud Investigation

 

A court has identified a total 72 induvidual cases in a fraud investigation concerning the regional government of Andalusia. It is alleged that a number of party officials have been receiving money illegally from a public fund intended to help struggling businesses pay for early retirement and provide assistance to employees who needed to be laid-off.

The number of cases brought to court had been in dispute after the Junta originally identified 146 instances where people may have been illegally receiving money from the fund.

Investigating Judge Mercedes Alaya has ordered a complete review of all the Andalusia government's records for the last 10 years, and has also asked to see all the minutes from the regional Cabinet meetings and those of Andalusia's employment, economy, innovation and general audit offices. The judge is investigating the 72 "intruders" - people who were given early-retirement packages in companies that they never even worked for - and a 647-million-euro fund, which prosecutors claim was created illegally.

The key is reportedly contained in 3 reports prepared since 2005 by the regional government's general audit office, which stated that the procedures taken to set up the fund "absolutely disregarded" the law.

The region's former employment commissioner, Antonio Fernández, and the Socialist party secretary in Seville, José Antonio Viera, who signed the original agreement for the fund back in 2001, are the key targets in the inquiry.

The ppposition's PP has accused regional premier, José Antonio Griñán, of being aware of the general audit office's recommendations, but ignoring the situation. Griñán, who was the economy commissioner at the time of the reports, has denied all knowledge.