The Prosecutor’s Office sees more means against corruption in Euskadi as “desirable” and that there are no “complexes” with the Civil Guard

The Basque top prosecutor, Carmen Adán, feels in a “loop.” Year after year, at the annual appearance to present the report of the Prosecutor’s Office in the Basque Parliament, they end up making similar claims that are never substantiated. The 2024 intervention has not been an exception and Adan has left your honors with two reflections. On the one hand, he continues to consider it “absolutely desirable” that the figure of the Anti-Corruption delegate be created in Euskadi. On the other hand, he has warned that there are numerous cases open against public officials for environmental crimes – he has not mentioned them but they are being investigated, for example, the counselor Amaia Barredo or the Gipuzkoan deputy José Ignacio Asensió, from PNV and PSE-EE – and that there are also few means to combat this crime. For this reason, he understands that the support of the Civil Guard in these investigations is “very important” and that it should be given relevance “without complexes.”

Asked about a possible Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, Adán has indicated that her assessment is “positive” about it. “Specialization is always good. And the support of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office would be absolutely desirable,” he stated. A position of delegate against economic crimes was created, whose head is José Manuel Ortiz, but it covers many more matters beyond political corruption. The prosecutor has indicated that this position would only be created if it is seen that there are cases and complaints but, at the same time, since there are no means, those cases and complaints that would justify it do not flourish either. He has regretted that the specialization of the Ertzaintza in the matter is not “very great” either. It was recently learned that there are less than a dozen personnel dedicated to the matter. “It’s a kind of loop that we can’t get out of,” he lamented.

Regarding crimes against the environment, another of the workhorses during his mandate, which began in 2017, he has warned that only companies or individuals cannot be pointed out as responsible for these cases. In fact, he has stressed that in many cases the defendants are institutional charges. If environmental prevarication has been expressly incorporated into the Penal Code it will be for a reason, it has come to reason. In response to questions from EH Bildu, he has expressly valued the work of the Civil Guard. “I don’t know if they will like it very much,” he has come to joke with the nationalist coalition. He has stated that this body has helped carry out “many” investigations. However, he has admitted improvements in the relationship with the specialized team of the Ertzaintza after years of tensions and complaints.

Adán has also made other general considerations about crime in Euskadi. He has asked to analyze the phenomenon from “pure” data and not from “perceptions” and not to “rekindle” debates about the nationality of criminals, an issue about which Vox has asked. He has warned of the high workload of the rooms specialized in violence against women and has expressed his concern about cases involving minors, particularly harassment or sexual violence. It has left records of uninvestigatable cases because those involved did not reach the minimum legal age for prosecution, 14 years. As a third touch to the Ertzaintza, she has denounced that “there is no specialized group for minors” and she sees it as “absolutely necessary.”