- A committee of the Basque Parliament investigates fraud in school canteens between 2003 and 2015, which has resulted in the loss of tens of millions of euros in public coffers. Companies in the sector agreed to distribute the market and deliberately increase the price of the service. It is very serious, scandalous and suspect that during those years the administration has engaged a group of companies, that are inflating prices between them and that the alarms do not sound. As the High Court of Justice of the Basque Country states, it is surprising that “during that time there was no reaction or investigation, no preventive consultation, no complaint” by the Basque Government, although “the awards were systematically held in the same hands”.
Last week, the Basque Government’s Education Minister, Cristina Uriarte (PNV), appeared before this committee, and the three previous ones before her: Isabel Celaá (PSE), Tontxu Campos (EA) and Ángeles Iztueta (EA). To create surprises and more misgivings, they have spoken as if they had agreed to their statement that no suspicion or irregularity had been felt in their mandates, and that action was taken within the law. Of course, they have not taken political responsibility for public money fraud.
But such a mess cannot remain that way. The former Basque Government officials say that they did not encourage or support this practice of fraud, but they and the Executive themselves are at least politically responsible for their passivity, sluggishness and lack of control. It cannot be accepted that there are no officials and that the Education Counselor goes home quietly. The Commission should not unreasonably close the investigation of this millionaire fraud: the shadow of complicity with this business cartel would be too long.