«My experience in these agreements between the national Government and the Community is zero,» said the president of the institution.
The opposition in the Madrid Assembly demanded on Wednesday that the president of the Court of Auditors of the Community, Joaquín Leguina, audit the housing plans in the region and called for «strengthening the independence» of the institution.
It was in the Budget and Finance Committee, held at the Vallecas Chamber, where Vox requested information on the housing plans in the Community of Madrid between 2013-2016 and 2018-2021. Deputy María González pointed out that «the regional Government has carried out a deficient budget management that has prevented capturing 100% of the possible funds to promote aid.»
«What is really serious is that the people of Madrid have not received the aid planned. The regional Government is responsible for not having allocated the necessary material and human resources to supervise the correct execution of aid programs,» she criticized.
Leguina spoke up to affirm that «his experience in these agreements between the Government of Spain and the Community of Madrid is zero.» Thus, he has relied on documentation prepared by the Court of Auditors and has requested that Councilor Ana Cossío provide technical assistance.
The president of the Court of Auditors detailed that recommendations have been sent to the Ministry of Housing, such as the duty to carry out control and monitoring activities of the execution of the plans; to claim from the State the account that has been overcompensated; and to strengthen the IT applications and the capabilities of the staff in charge of managing the plans.
THE LEFT CALLS FOR STRENGTHENING INDEPENDENCE
In the parliamentary groups’ turn, socialist deputy Leticia Lorenzo emphasized to Leguina that «his position requires him to act with full independence and compliance with legal regulations.» She also asked him to «have the courage to maintain his independence in order to carry out his work with nobility and efficiency.»
«The Community of Madrid has not provided information on contributions to finance the programs of the Housing Plan 2013-2016, so annual income and distribution by program cannot be quantified. Nor has information been provided on the total obligations accounted for in the execution of the Plan,» she lamented.
Lorenzo criticized «the lack of collaboration» from the regional Government to «avoid negative audit reports and disrupt the auditing function.» Therefore, she urged the president of the Court of Auditors to «keep striving despite the obstacles that the Isabel Díaz Ayuso Government may place in carrying out his good work.»
Along the same lines, Más Madrid parliamentarian Santiago Gutiérrez thanked Leguina for his efforts at his age, which is commendable, and urged him to «serve the people of Madrid and Spain.»
«There are deficiencies and impossibility to carry out part of the work of the Court of Auditors as a result of the blockage in the processing of the necessary documentation to evaluate public spending. I am convinced that you, due to your trajectory, will be pleased that the Court of Auditors strengthens its independence,» he lamented.
He also requested that Leguina «take into account the numerous deficiencies that this audit report from the Court of Auditors highlights regarding the collaboration of the Popular Party governments of recent years, who are the managers of these housing plans.»
VOX LAMENTS «THE ATTITUDE» OF LEGUINA
On the other hand, the Vox deputy warned that the behavior of the Ministry of Housing «violates an article of the Court of Auditors that regulates the duty of collaboration by audited entities.» Additionally, she criticized Leguina’s behavior for «not requesting the necessary documentation.»
«He allowed the approval report to be submitted, even when the Ministry denied the requested documentation. Mr. Leguina, once the Transparency Council has been invaded and the Court of Auditors controlled, it seems that Ms. Ayuso has managed to neutralize the bodies,» she stated.
Furthermore, she criticized the regional Government for «not executing the received funds correctly, leaving money unspent and causing delays in aid.» She added that the Community of Madrid «has not accounted properly for the use of housing funds.» «Public funds must be subject to rigorous control as their correct application directly impacts people’s lives,» she emphasized.
