The PSIB accuses Lafuente of favoring his business interests by amending the Ports Law.

PalmThe amendment to the Ports Law presented this Tuesday by the People's Party (PP) and Vox to Parliament has put the Minister of the Sea, Juan Manuel Lafuente, in the spotlight. The deputy spokesperson for the PSIB group, Marc Pons, accused him of having "direct" business interests in this amendment. The reason is that the minister inherited a 33% stake in the headquarters of the Port of Addaia, in Menorca.

Lafuente requested a floor to speak, during which he expressed his willingness to clear up any doubts about his possible interests in the amendment to the law and accused Pons of making "veiled insults." "I express my complete willingness to all groups to disclose my financial situation regarding anything that may be related to the sector, which boils down to the death of my father, who had shares in a company," he argued. "I have neither bought nor sold shares in a specific company, nor have I served on any board of directors," he insisted. "In politics, not everything goes." Sources from the regional ministry have also explained that, for now, Lafuente has not yet formally accepted the inheritance.

However, Pons noted that the Law on Good Administration and Good Governance establishes the duty of government members and senior officials to abstain from making decisions in which they have or may have personal interests. He repeatedly asked Lafuente to clarify whether he abstained from voting on the amendment in the Governing Council. The minister did not respond to this question, despite insisting on his willingness to provide "all the information." "Who manages the Port of Addaia?" Pons insisted: "There is a direct relationship."

Regarding the specific content of the regulation, Pons particularly criticized the fact that it allows for a fifty-year extension of the concession to certain marinas (private companies that manage sports ports) when they already have 15 or 20 years, which is not permitted for nautical clubs. "Something jars with the discourse of liberal economics," he said.

Pons's intervention outraged the Catalan government, which criticized him for criticizing the minister. "What a disgrace," First Vice President Antoni Costa retorted off-camera. The bill continues its progress in Parliament thanks to the votes of the People's Party (PP) and Vox. The PSIB (Basque Socialist Workers' Party), MÁS (Mass), and Més por Menorca (Menorca Women's Party) also voted against it.