Spanish political tensions escalated as María Chivite, President of Navarra, testified before the Senate investigation committee examining the 'Koldo case,' defending her interactions with former PSOE organizational secretary Santos Cerdán while denying any improper influence over public contracts. Chivite characterized the parliamentary inquiry as a 'Roman circus' due to the conduct of UPN and PP parties, maintaining that political officials do not interfere in administrative procedures. Her testimony came amid growing scrutiny over infrastructure projects in Navarra, particularly the Belate tunnel works, where anticorruption authorities have identified irregularities.
Chivite acknowledged requesting Cerdán's accompaniment to meetings at various ministries to secure Spanish government funding for N-121 A road projects, describing these interactions as part of his parliamentary duties representing Navarra. She emphasized that Cerdán attended in his capacity as a Socialist deputy, asserting that neither she nor the regional government took orders from him. The Navarra president clarified that their discussions focused on Navarran political matters rather than contract awards, stating she never consulted with him about public procurement processes in the region.
The investigation has revealed contradictory accounts regarding relationships between key figures. Bernardo Ciriza Pérez, former Navarra councilor and trusted associate of both Chivite and Cerdán, denied knowing Koldo García during Senate testimony, despite media reports indicating repeated meetings between them. Ciriza's nervous, hesitant denials contrasted with Koldo García's recent statement acknowledging that some people now find it preferable to publicly disavow knowing him. These conflicting narratives have complicated the investigation into alleged fund diversions to PSOE accounts.
Anticorruption authorities have raised serious concerns about the Belate tunnel contract, declaring it 'null and void' due to detected irregularities in the bidding process. The contract was awarded to a temporary business union including Servinabar, where Cerdán allegedly controlled 45% ownership. Chivite's government plans to submit objections to the anticorruption report while analyzing administrative procedures for clarification and strengthening. The president confirmed her last conversation with Cerdán occurred around 9:30 AM on the day the UCO investigation report implicating him was made public, shortly before his resignation and preventive detention.
FC Barcelona has released its latest financial results, revealing a complex picture of record-breaking commercial performance coupled with significant asset devaluations. The Catalan club reported extraordinary sponsorship and commercial revenue of €429 million for the previous fiscal year,...
Pope Leone XIV presided over a significant canonization ceremony at St. Peter's Square on Sunday, elevating seven individuals to sainthood including Venezuela's first two saints. The ceremony, marked by the ringing of bells and attended by approximately 55,000 people, saw the canonization of...
The Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia 2025 opened its 58th edition on Thursday, October 9, with Julia Ducournau's 'Alpha' serving as the opening gala film. This year's festival, running through October 19, features a record-breaking program of 395 productions between...
A 69-year-old woman died on Sunday afternoon following an explosion and subsequent fire at her two-story home in the village of Villar del Río in Spain's Soria province. The incident occurred around 5:30 PM local time when multiple witnesses reported hearing a loud explosion coming from the...
The highly anticipated ticket sales for Spanish band La Oreja de Van Gogh's upcoming tour were unexpectedly postponed on Monday due to a widespread technical failure affecting Amazon Web Services. The band had scheduled ticket sales for 12:00 hours on October 20th for concerts marking the...
