A candid discussion unfolds between Transport Minister Óscar Puente and senators
Ábalos' ex-girlfriend confessed that she was billing INECO without actually performing work, shocking Puente.
In an uncensored exchange before the Senate's investigative committee, Minister Puente delved into the conundrum surrounding Jessica Rodriguez, the former partner of ex-Minister José Luis Ábalos. In a scandalous statement, Rodriguez claimed she was compensated for a job she didn't perform at the public company INECO. Despite the Jaw-dropping allegations, Minister Puente expressed no intention of ordering another internal audit within the Ministry of Transport.
He rationalized, "It's senseless to order an audit for every news story. We're already under investigation by the judicial and parliamentary bodies, and we're promptly supplying them with all relevant documents as they become accessible."
Recounting his previous session with the Senate's investigative committee, Puente highlighted an audit he instructed in his Ministry to clarify contracts regarding face masks. He clarified, "Afterward, I directed questions to the concerned organizations based on the latest news."
Offering a defense for INECO, the supposed employer of Rodriguez, Puente revealed that the company was perplexed by her declaration as there was a significant amount of documentation substantiating her employment. He added, "Contrary to her statement, INECO didn't employ her in their offices but Adif, who hired her instead."
dug deeper into INECO's response, which stated that no irregularities emerged during the hiring procedure. However, Rodriguez's testimony shed new light on the matter as she disclosed that she didn't show up for work. This contrasts with INECO's administrative record of her employment.
The Minister revealed that he had only possessed a "superficial" knowledge of Rodriguez's hiring during his initial appearance before the Senate's investigative committee. Thus, he consulted INECO about it and subsequently received a reply that there were no "irregularities" in the hiring procedure. Additionally, he reminded the committee that the concerned file was available to them.
Rodriguez asserted during her appearance that she landed the public employee position through Ábalos' influence and that she received payment despite her absence from work.
When questioned about the completion of Rodriguez's work reports, Puente claimed that the administrative file provided by the company contained documents substantiating her working hours, emails, and other correspondences. He further explained that she had two project supervisors who monitored her work. According to Puente, there were no indications of fraud in the documents, as her supervisors constantly inquired about her reports whenever she was tardy.
Puente emphasized that the Ministry did not pay for any of the trips that José Luis Ábalos' ex-partner accompanied him on. He stated, "I must tell you that the Ministry did not cover the cost of any trips. It is known that five were financed by Koldo or Patricia's card, while I remain unaware of who paid for the other eight trips."
The Popular Party (PP) suggested that Puente had a personal relationship with Rodriguez, an accusation that Puente vehemently denied. He responded, "These allegations are extremely serious, and I might leave the chamber if this aggressive questioning persists." The confrontation ensued when the PP senator produced a picture of Rodriguez and questioned Puente if he knew her personally. Puente rebuffed, "I have never met her." The PP senator continued to press by suggesting that "some people claim they did know each other," to which Puente challenged, "Prove it; you are baselessly casting accusations based on hearsay."
- Minister Puente expressed his perplexity over the documents substantiating Jessica Rodriguez's employment at INECO, contrasting with her claim that she didn't show up for work.
- The Minister of Transport stated that he did not pay for any trips that Jessica Rodriguez accompanied José Luis Ábalos on, despite five trips being financed by individuals named Koldo or Patricia.
- The supposed employer of Rodriguez, INECO, responded to the Minister's inquiry stating that no irregularities emerged during the hiring procedure, yet Rodriguez's testimony shed new light on potential discrepancies.
- Amidst the Senate's investigation, Minister Puente decided not to order another audit within the Ministry of Transport, despite the general news coverage of the scandalous allegations.
- In the midst of the candid discussion, the Politics and Policy-and-Legislation sectors were scrutinized, with a particular focus on the Crime-and-Justice sector to determine the validity of Rodriguez's claims against ex-Minister José Luis Ábalos.
