He told the truth, but not the whole truth. The General Director of Energy and Mines of the Generalitat, Manuel Argüelles, was somewhat sparing when providing information in his declaration of goods and activities that served as the basis for the conflict control office to interest (OCI) to resolve the declaration of compatibility in the exercise of public office.
As he has told Eldiariocv.esArgüelles is a shareholder of PV Ingenergy Solar Beta, the concessionaire of a photovoltaic plant in Monforte del Cid (Alicante), whose license was granted by the department he directs on May 29, 2024, when he had already been in The position. Because Carlos Mazón appointed it, to boost this clean energy, on October 19, 2023. Argüelles has interests in another business dependent on his area, since he participates in an authorized solar installation in Picasent, as a partner of PV ingennergy solar Epsilon, the Project Engineering.
Only the group’s parent company appears
Neither of the two societies pointed were uncovered in the Straaptease of interest carried out by Manuel Argüelles, although when he arrived in office, the license of PV ingennergy solar beta was already being processed in the municipality of Vinalopó and the Picasent plant was already authorized. In his statement of goods, the FyAH Solutions firm included, with which it indirectly controls a part of the property of the Alicante plant, but not the company that appears in the file.
Actually, in the declaration of activities of the last two years before taking possession, it only includes the group matrix, PV Engineers. There is none of the eleven societies whose management positions had to abandon because the law of incompatibilities provides for transparency, as explained to this newspaper. All responsibilities in that dozen societies, held between October 6, 2021 and November 28, 2023, are not detailed in the declaration.
Signatures born to achieve licenses
Asked about that omission, the Director General insists that he has “fulfilled everything that the transparency department has asked me.” Why don’t the companies already have interests when it was named? Faced with this question, Argüelles alleges that these companies “are vehicle societies (SPV) that hang from PV engine, most without structure or activity because they constitute exclusively to initiate projects.” He believes enough to have contributed the group’s parent company. Who wants to know more, than investigate whether any of their participated appears in any of the hundreds of files underway to see if anyone is related to him.
Argüelles acknowledges that they are companies that are created for each project. That is, to fish licenses. SL of 3,000 euros of social capital that are often born with the aim of achieving authorization to resell and do business giving the pass.
The compatibility resolution was dictated by the conflict control office of interest on December 28, 2023. It has the signing of the Director General of Transarència I participation, José Salvador Tàrrega. The aforementioned office was attached to the Autonomic Secretary of Transparency, whose front is Santiago Lumbreras, under the umbrella of presidency. This resolution is stated that the permission is granted once the declaration of goods and activities is seen and it is underlined that the interested person always is responsible for the “veracity” of the information provided.
Argüelles: “The problem is to be administrator, not having actions”
The person responsible for granting permits to renewable projects insists that their resignation of management positions in companies will clear any doubt about a possible conflict of interest. “The problem is to be an administrator, not having actions,” he says, while abundantly charging those companies. “It is not that a millionaire is not going to be done, it does not give it to distribute dividends,” said a spokesman for the Ministry. Argüelles is co -owner of the business. If the license is reverted or the plant is exploited, its shareholder will charge.
Law 53/1984 of incompatibilities of personnel at the service of public administrations, the state norm, establishes in its article 11 that public office may not exercise private activities “that they are directly related to the department, agency or entity where it was destined” . It refers to performing activities in companies, not to be a shareholder, but legal sources indicate that the spirit of the norm clearly indicates the conflict that is generated when you have interests in the sector that you manage as a public office. Among the promoted changes, in July 2024, by the Consell de Mazón to the laws of good governance and transparency and the incompatibilities and conflict of interest of public office is to allow politicians to occupy responsibilities in private companies, provided that those firms are not related to the public office area.
Without a trace of Valencian photovoltaic in the curriculum
The curriculum provided by Manuel Argüelles to the Transparency Portal is less Rácano in information than his declaration of goods and activities. But in its elaboration the selective memory operates, as usual in these Juan Palomo -style hagiographies. In the biographical, labor and personal story, the Director General consumes a lot of energy in explaining all his professional experience in photovoltaic management in Chile (Atacama Desert), in Olmedilla de Alarcón (Cuenca), La Roda (Albacete) or Puerto Real (Cádiz), but does not collect the Picasent project, prepared by its engineering.
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