From public recognition to dismissal: the Government dismisses the Director of Costs who denounced a bribe

PalmaIt has not been four months since the Government expressed its "pride and satisfaction" for the conduct of the Director General of Costs, Maria Joaquina Ferrer, who reported an attempted bribery by a businessman from Mallorca. But the Executive has shifted from public recognition to the dismissal of Ferrer, who has not even been in office for a year and will now return to her position as a civil servant of the CAIB. The dismissal will be effective this Friday at the Council of Government.

One of the reasons that precipitated the dismissal has been the bottlenecks in the concessions for beach services in Formentera, which have generated great discontent among businessmen and the island council of the island. Executive sources confirm these frictions.

A resolution from the Directorate General of Costs in May denied the authorization of 681 sun loungers and 339 parasols and provoked criticism from the Formentera Council to the Government (Costs did authorize 1,169 sun loungers and 589 parasols).

20,000 euros inside a box of chocolates

The National Police arrested at the end of April a businessman from Mallorca who tried to bribe Ferrer. The man had gone to the office of a high-ranking official to resolve an issue with permits related to his businesses and gave him a box of chocolates. Ferrer's surprise was immense when he opened it to offer some to the workers and found 20,000 euros in 50-euro notes inside. The director-general immediately reported the find and called the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF). The police took fifteen days to locate the businessman.

"He acted as any civil servant or any public management position in the Government should act," said the Vice President of the Government, Antoni Costa, at the time. "I can do nothing but express my satisfaction with the Director General of Costs," he added.

Ferrer then regretted that the "idea of making private uses of the coast outside the norm" still persists and stressed that "progress is being made in coastal management, especially in terms of control, inspection, and processing of files". "The objective is to reverse this dynamic: to act with more determination, reduce margins of impunity, and consolidate the idea that public domain is a collective good that must be protected. In this regard, it is essential to find a balance between economic activities and coastal conservation," he stated in an interview with ARA Balears.