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INPRIMATU
José Ignacio Asensio is under investigation for alleged environmental crime
  • The Prosecutor’s Office of Gipuzkoa has requested an investigation into whether it has committed an alleged crime against the environment and whether or not it has falsified the documents, as reported by the AnclSOS association.
Gorka Peñagarikano Goikoetxea 2023ko urriaren 17a

José Ignacio Asensio, member of the PSE-EE and Minister for Sustainability of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, currently president of the Waste Consortium of Gipuzkoa, is investigating whether he has committed a crime against the environment, and the Prosecutor’s Office of Gipuzkoa has asked the Court of Instruction No. 5 of San Sebastián to clarify the documents. In addition to Asensio, the technical director of the GHK and two other officials are investigating this case.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office’s movement originated in a letter submitted by ANCUSs in June, according to the association itself. According to the document, Zubieta's waste energy assessment plant generated in 2022 "hazardous waste", something that legislation does not allow. As SOS denounced in June, these facts should be included in the memory of the environmental monitoring programme, but in order to "conceal" this action "waste code" and "misconceptions" were issued in a "conscious" way.

In addition, part of these hazardous waste was destined by the GHK to Artajona for treatment by the company EncoάSansoain. According to the reasons denounced by AnclSOS and taken over by the Prosecutor’s Office, this company has no authorisation to manage hazardous waste.

You can reach Lakua

The Vice-Office for the Environment of the Basque Government can also close disputes. All shipments of waste should be reported to Lakua and all news about its management and transport. If so, the prosecution warns that Lakua should initiate proceedings for failure to comply with the integrated environmental authorization.

But, according to the prosecutor, it is too early to conclude whether the Deputy Environmental Counsel of the Government committed a crime or not. To clarify it, he suggests "starting a police investigation," because there are "suspicions."

17 October, Parliament's visit to Zubieta

A delegation from the Basque Parliament will visit the facilities of the incinerator in Zubieta on Tuesday 17 October. The subject is boiling; the opposition’s questions and requests for hearings on the subject have recently multiplied.