The lawyer who acted as a go-between to bring medical supplies from China to Majorca during the coronavirus State of Emergency charged 156,543 euros for her services.
Between April 6 and May 29 six payments were made to Wei Wei Jiang in instalments of 20,722.03; 19,966.46; 19,584.38; 16,119.13; 42,055.50 and 38,096.40 euros.
Health Minister, Patricia Gómez, said that no contract was drawn up because the shipments were carried out following an emergency procedure and that the procedure was approved by the Consell on March 18 a few days after the State of Emergency was decreed.
Functions
Minister Gómez said the lawyer's work included contacting Chinese suppliers to secure medical supplies, negotiating payment and delivery of the materials, reviewing the contracts in Chinese and English signed with the providers and making sure that the technical documentation sent by the supplier was correct.
Wei Wei Jiang was also responsible for supervising the Servei de Salut audit, reviewing and supervising Customs procedures, ensuring that the delivery of material was carried out under the contracted conditions, negotiating with the airlines over the price of the flight and volume transported and reviewing all contracts.
The Government leased a total of twelve planes to China at a total cost of 6,891,938.55 euros and rented a warehouse in Shanghai Airport to store the materials which generated two invoices for 40,000 euros and 42,073.67 euros.
The price of the flights varied depending on the date and the most expensive one was contracted to Ethiopian Airlines for 1,455.00 euros.
The planes were hired to secure the materials from China at a time when half the world was scrambling to buy PPE equipment and prices skyrocketed as demand soared.
Despite the exceptional circumstances, the Balearic Anticorruption Office has decided to carry out an analysis of all contracts issued at the beginning of the pandemic.
Ex officio
The Director of the Anti-Corruption Office, Jaime Far, says it is not a proper investigation, it’s something broader and ex officio. The study will include the analysis of contracts made through the emergency route and the conclusions will be sent to the Office for the Regulation and Supervision of Procurement.