- The Lehendakari recalled and ratified the statements he made in 2010 – when the arrests occurred – and in 2019 – when the High Court of Justice of Álava issued a judgment. It does not assess the merits of the judgment.
Lehendakari Iñigo Urkullu has spread the note via social media, after the Supreme Court ratified the main sanctions in the De Miguel case on Tuesday. Urkullu recalled two statements to ratify them.
On the one hand, those held in April 2010 “as president of the Basque Nationalist Party”, after the police arrest in March of De Miguel and two other leaders of the Alavés PNV. “I condemn all cases of corruption and maintain an absolute commitment to transparency and ethics in public and political management.” On the other hand, those who did in 2019, after the High Court of Justice of Álava imposed on politicians and businessmen related to the PNV and the Administration prison terms of years: “I fully respect the decisions taken by the Justice”.
Non-assessment of PNV and Administration involvement
“I reaffirm my strongest rejection of the facts that we defend and that are contrary to the ethical ideas and values that we want to express,” concludes the phrase of lehendakari. The Lehendakari has not made an assessment of the merits of the sentence, although the Supreme Court’s ruling states that the main convicted persons used their “political influence” as members of the PNV to commit crimes and used the public administration to enrich themselves.