Mazón liquidates 6 “ghost” public firms and will carry out forensic audits on others

The president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazónhas announced the suppression of 6 public entities of the Valencian public business sector that it described as “ghost companies” since they were created by the previous Government of the Botànic although they did not come into operation. Mazón was very critical of the management of the previous government of socialists, Compromís and Podemos, which he considered marked by “waste and lack of control.”

The reduction of the structure of public companies, agencies and foundations of the Valencian Administration was one of the promises of the PP and Vox coalition Executive. Mazón himself had announced his intention to reduce political “fat” and the truth is that in its first budgets, which include an increase in general spendingthe allocation for the public business sector was one of those that has been reduced the most.

As announced, non-functioning entities whose activities are already carried out by other bodies of the Autonomous Administration itself will be eliminated. Specifically, five agencies will be liquidated: Valencian Energy Agencythe Agency for the Digitalization and Cybersecuritythat of Food Information and Controlthat of Waste and Circular Economyand of Climate change. The Valencian School of Public Administration.

The president justified this deletion because “The situation is critical” in the Valencian Administration, “with the largest deficit in Spain and the debt at historic highs, with almost 60,000 million euros.” A panorama for which he blamed the Botànic. Of course, this measure in principle will not reduce spending, since as Mazón acknowledged until now they had not used public money.

But in addition, the popular president announced that his Government will consider measures to claim the responsibility of the previous Executive. To this end, he announced that a general audit of the entire Valencian public sector will be launched, which will also include specific audits. “forensic” in those public companies and entities in which there are “possible cases of fraud and uncontrolled spending.” Based on these specific audits, it will be considered to require “administrative and even criminal responsibilities”.

Possible irregularities

Mazón was based in the reports of the Audit Office and the Intervention, which according to the new Administration includes irregular contracting procedures, supplications in expenses, hit-and-miss placements and even payments to third parties without authorization. “In terms of contracting, only 4 of the 54 “They have received a positive assessment from auditors and intervention,” according to Mazón. “92% of the entities do not carry out contracts in accordance with the law,” he noted.

In his speech, the popular man assured that in the last 4 years of the Puig Government “he awarded 253,122 contracts by hand” for an amount of 713 million euros. Furthermore, he pointed out that in 2021 alone, more than 4,000 hires without authorization from the Treasury. “The era of accumulating public companies to pay favors and execute massive plugs is over,” Mazón stressed.