The official newsletter of the Basque Country published on Monday the resignation of Xabier Balerdi as president of EBB. Balerdi was deputy director of Human Resources. Last year, after denouncing fraud in specialist medical examinations, Osakidetza appointed him to be responsible for the internal investigation. Balerdi has also been a councillor of the Municipality of Tolosa since June, representing the full-time PNV.

Balerdi is the fourth head of resignation to Osakidetza's management since the cases of fraud in Osakidetza were reported. The Health Advisor, Jon Darpón, the Director of Human Resources, Juan Carlos Soto, and the Director of Osakidetza, María Jesús Mujika, have resigned earlier. The investigation into fraud is still open in the Courts of Vitoria-Gasteiz for administrative prevention.

Trade unions, critics

The Prosecutor's Office has detected evidence of fraud in more than a dozen specialties for crimes. However, in the absence of sufficient evidence, it has limited the specific indictment to three distinct specialties, and is being investigated by a member of the court of each specialty. The defendants are not responsible for Osakidetza, the Ertzaintza or Osakidetza. For their part, the ELA, LAB and ESK trade unions, which are part of the indictment, have denounced from the outset that fraud is structural.

Both have been critical of the resignation of Balerdi, who denied the accusations. “It’s late,” ESK said, “it’s a change of faces,” according to ELA, which has predicted new resignations. In addition to resignations and personal investigations, the three trade unions have agreed on the need to change the entire model of the competition system.