The now non-attached mayor affirms that he was removed from the party in a process without guarantees and hopes to be reinstated as the three regional deputies
The Prosecutor’s Office adhered this Friday to the lawsuit filed by the former Vox councilor Gonzalo Abad and requested to declare his expulsion from this party null and void in December 2020. He did so in an oral hearing held in the Court of First Instance 5 of Cartagena, whose holder left the matter seen for sentencing.
Abad expressed his confidence that Justice will order the party to be reinstated, “just as another court has done regarding the three regional deputies” who were also fired by Vox in 2021, due to discrepancies over the management of bank accounts and the dismissal of parliamentary group workers. They are Juan José Liarte, Mabel Campuzano (autonomous Minister of Education) and Francisco José Carrera, whose return Vox has appealed to the Provincial Court.
«I want to return for a reason of justice. I did not violate any rule and I was expelled in a process without guarantees. The deadlines were not respected and the minutes were not signed. It is a matter of honor and, in addition, I want to work for the party that I entered in 2014,” Abad told LA TRUTH.
His departure left Vox without a municipal group in the City Council. He became unassigned and Pilar García, to the Mixed Group. «Pilar and the adviser Jaime Pérez-Solero denounced me, arguing that I did not get along with the group, that it was very authoritarian. Pilar said that I had not consulted with her about hiring her temporary staff and today, at the trial, she has said that I did. They also claimed that I changed computer passwords, but I did so because I detected information leaks. Then, I did security checks and gave them new passwords, “explained Abad.
In any case, he concluded: «What is past is past. And if the party reconsiders and wants, the municipal group can be rebuilt. Pilar and I have not spoken for a long time and, although it is difficult, it is not impossible to return to normality.
Layoffs and information
Garcia testified as a witness. He ratified the complaint against his former partner and stated that “the file is perfectly written and justified.” “There were some rules and Gonzalo broke them. He unilaterally made decisions, such as Jaime’s dismissal and blocking us from digital access to information », he told this newspaper.
On the possible reincorporation of Abad, he commented: «There is no enmity between us and I have no interest in whether he is there or not. But since his expulsion I suffer from his attacks in plenary sessions».
José María Figaredo, secretary of the Vox Guarantees Committee, and Juan Sevilla, head of municipal coordination, also testified. Pérez-Solero did not attend, due to being on sick leave. Municipal sources indicated that Vox communicated days ago its intention to fire him.