The Asset Recovery Office of the Generalitat Valenciana has asked the Department of Sustainable Economy to evaluate the alleged loss caused to the Generalitat by the privatization of the Technical Inspection of Vehicles (ITV) in 1997 and the award of the Valencian Wind Plan in in 2002 that are being investigated in what is known as the Erial case.
These two actions by the Consell are at the origin of the investigation being carried out by a court in Valencia for alleged tax and corruption crimes and in which several senior officials of the PP government are being investigated, including former presidents Eduardo Zaplana and José Luis Olives, among others.
According to the general director of Relations with the Courts and head of the Asset Recovery Office, Ana Domínguez, with this report the Generalitat seeks to quantify “the impact that both the privatization of the ITVs and the award of the Plan could have on public accounts. Eolico, actions that are at the bottom of the tax investigation of the court for the alleged commissions that were charged for these actions.
The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office has already recovered nine million euros from the alleged collection of illegal commissions in the concession of the wind power plan and the ITV in the Valencian Community.
The money was deposited in the judicial deposit account seven million euros managed by Fernando Belhot, who allegedly acted as Zaplana's figurehead, and who has decided to collaborate with justice by voluntarily delivering those amounts
The Asset Recovery Office was created by the Consell del Botànic to coordinate actions to recover public money, which in some cases was obtained illegally in the different cases of corruption that have affected the management of the Generalitat Valenciana in past decades.
Recovery files for up to 20 million
To date, more than seven and a half million euros have been recovered, in cases such as the different pieces of the Gürtel plot, the four pieces of the Cooperation case, Emarsa or the sentences for the FITUR case.
In total, nearly 40 files have been opened, mostly related to judicial matters in which the Generalitat has been harmed patrimonially, and this has been recognized in the corresponding sentences.
The office is now working on the recovery of up to 20 million euros for different files.
Before their privatization in 1997, the ITV stations were managed by SEPIVA, a company of the Generalitat, and that the income derived from these actions constituted a permanent source of public income.
After privatization, there were increases in the prices of vehicle inspections and the second inspections, which were previously free, were charged, which are indications that the new private managers may have been wanted to benefit.