Arantxa Tapia presented to the Committee on Economic Development and Innovation on Tuesday at the request of the Elkarrekin group. The Minister for Economic Development, Sustainability and the Environment has once again defended the action of the Government. He explains that the Supreme Court’s ruling in January has not yet been received by the Government: “Neither the defendants nor the Government have been informed.” De Miguel Hazi, who works at the public foundation, was sentenced to 12 years and 4 months in prison for corruption. Former colleague Koldo Ochandiano remains in the public sector in the Álava Technological Park, despite being sentenced to 7 years and 6 months in prison.

Tapia says that early expulsion would be a violation of the rights of the two convicted, but that when they receive the notification they will be suspended from the contract: “Nothing more than the Provincial Court of Álava has obtained such an execution order, the dismissal of Mr. De Miguel and Mr. Ochandiano will take place.”

53 days to apply for judgment

On the same day that Tapia made these statements, El Correo has published that the government has waited 53 days to formally request the ruling from the Provincial Court of Álava. According to the newspaper, the request was registered by the Government ' s legal services on 3 March. The ruling was made public on 9 January, and the following day, 10 January, Tapia declared that the employment contracts of the convicted persons were suspended “as soon as possible”.

Opposition against

The opposition groups do not consider Tapia's explanations valid. David Soto, from the Elkarrekin group, who has requested the hearing of the counsellor, points out that if the expulsion was not possible – according to the statutes of the Hazi foundation would be possible, because it is not expressly mentioned that the sentence of someone convicted of corruption has to be firm to execute the dismissal – there were other “aesthetic solutions”, such as the suspension of wages or some kind of sanction. Josu Estarrona of EH Bildu has accused the government of dying and reproached him that he had to intervene “from the first minute.” PP spokesman Carmelo Barrio has pointed out that the government’s attitude seems “a suspicion of absolute defense” of De Miguel.