The Governing Council of State Ports, a company dependent on the Ministry of Transport, carried out, in a meeting this Wednesday, the dismissal of the already former Secretary General of State Ports, Álvaro Sánchez Manzanares. At the moment there is no new prosecutor to fill this strategic position in the organizational chart of this public institution, so the position remains vacant. That of Sánchez Manzanares was the first head to roll around in the Ministry of Transport, as EL PAÍS reported yesterday, due to the loss of confidence of Minister Óscar Puente after the Koldo case came to light in which the National Court is investigating the accusation of collecting illegal commissions for the Purchase of masks during the worst phase of the pandemic, involving Koldo García, adviser to the former Minister of Transport, José Luis Ábalos.
Ports has said in a statement that “all documents and information” that the Civil Guard Central Operations Unit (UCO) requested from them regarding a contract for the purchase of masks processed in 2020 have been provided, and they emphasize that The case was “not attributable” to the people who were involved in the execution of the contract.
The fired Secretary General was responsible for the purchase of eight million masks for 20 million euros from Management Solutions, the company recommended by Koldo García, the most trusted person in Ábalos. This contract was awarded on March 21, 2020 pursuant to a Ministerial Order that entrusted State Ports and Adif with the procurement of medical supplies and their distribution at the beginning of the pandemic and without the usual controls in accordance with the public sector contract law, on which the Royal Decree-Law 7/ Emergency route planned for 2020. Various sources explain that Óscar Puente acted urgently given that Sánchez Manzanares' position had to be confirmed by the Governing Council this Wednesday morning, according to sources familiar with the original agenda.
In his statement, Puertos recalls that the contracts for the purchase of medical supplies, including the one signed with Management Solutions, “were audited by both the General State Intervention and the Court of Auditors”. However, the public body announces that it will continue to cooperate as much as possible “with all authorities responsible for carrying out control and audit work”.
In the Puertos del Estado area this morning, the most viable technical option for replacement was that of the director of the Legal Department of the House, José Antonio Morillo-Velarde. The same sources explain that the figure of the Secretary General has a strong weight in the day-to-day management of the State Ports, which is why they wondered if Minister Óscar Puente would opt for an external figure.
The released Sánchez Manzanares joined Puertos del Estado in 2009. His first position was that of Director of Institutional Relations and Technological Innovation, and he also served as a member of the Boards of Directors of the Port Authorities of Coruña, Bilbao and Motril. In 2012, she took over the management of the legal advice department in the state ports and from this position she was promoted to general secretary, in which she was taken over by the current president of the company, Álvaro Rodríguez Dapena, when he took office in December 2021. In fact, the management team of Puertos del Estado has remained virtually intact, although various presidents have changed during the reign of Pedro Sánchez with Ornella Chacón, Salvador de la Encina, Francisco Toledo and the current President Rodríguez. It's pathetic.
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This morning's Governing Council meeting will be chaired by the President of State Ports. the Director of the Legal Department, José Antonio Morillo-Velarde, who acts as Secretary. Particularly noteworthy is the Head of Customs and Special Taxes of the State Tax Administration Agency, Pilar Jurado, as well as various high-ranking officials from the Ministries of Transport, Presidential Office and Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Rafael Domínguez Olivera, prosecutor and head of the Ministry of Transport led by Óscar Puente, serves as the council's sole adviser.
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