Marga Duran, the Partido Popular spokesperson at Palma town hall, spoke for the first time today about the latest corruption affair. Having been called upon by PSOE mayor, José Hila, to make a response, Duran said that the PP is not a corrupt party but a "brave" one, which has cooperated and will continue to cooperate with the justice system. "The PP has the utmost interest in getting to the bottom of what has happened, whoever might be affected. I am in no doubt that the party will apply its ethical code, which is the most developed (among the political parties)."
This code means, among other things, that party membership is suspended in the case that precautionary legal measures are applied to individuals.
Duran added that she hoped that justice will be swift and effective. "We will cooperate in every way we can. We are on the side of Palma town hall, which as an institution is under investigation. These matters don't affect a party, they affect a significant part of the institutional structure of the town hall."
She criticised mayor Hila for having suggested that during the previous administration the PP had set up a network to serve its own interests. Duran said that Hila had spoken before the process of taking statements from those who had been arrested had finished. "You cannot talk about networks or parties or anything else. We have to be cautious. The citizens demand that we show a bit of sense. It is not the time to be making reckless statements or to be making political capital."
Meanwhile, the net has widened. Investigators now suspect that there were other "irregular" contracts involving the transport department. In addition to the contract for the ORA blue zone parking, suspicion is now falling on contracts for traffic light maintenance, the municipal tow-away trucks and car parks. Specifications for the awarding of contracts could have been drawn up in order to ensure certain companies won the bids (which is what is alleged with the ORA contract). "Commissions" could have been paid in order to secure the contracts.