Pedro Bestard, on the controversy of the Consell de Mallorca cars: "I want a public apology"

PalmThe second vice-president of the Consell de Mallorca, Pedro Bestard, appeared this Thursday before the Transparency Commission of the Consell de Mallorca to give explanations on the use he has made of two vehicles of the island institution. But, beyond denying personal use, Bestard has not provided any concrete information. He has explained, however, that his department is scattered throughout the island and that this forces him to travel. "If I go from Manacor to Alcudia and I have to stop to eat in Ses Torres, I will stop. Or in Es Cruce," he said at one point during his speech, during which he did not clarify whether he ordered the vehicles to be left unlabeled, nor the routes, nor the kilometers traveled, nor why two Consell cars have also been seen spending the night in front of his house. On this occasion, Bestard arrived at the Consell in an official car with a chauffeur and demanded that, once the reports commissioned by President Llorenç Galmés are released, the left-wing parties apologize to him. "I want them to apologize to me publicly," he snapped at the PSOE spokesperson, Catalina Cladera.

"I have made use of the chauffeur-driven car and the department's cars. It is clear that yes, I am entitled to it. If I finish late, the car ends up at my house or in Son Pardo," assured the vice president, who read his speeches and lost the thread on several occasions when improvising. Despite admitting "part of the blame" for not having properly labeled the vehicles he used with the Consell's logo, Bestard has flatly denied having breached the regulations regarding the use of official vehicles. "It has been said of me that I am 'the hunter hunted'," he assured, referring to his well-known hunting hobby: "I have nothing to hide, I did not do it in bad faith".

In a subsequent attention to the media, Bestard admitted that he habitually used official cars and kept them at home "or at the racetrack" until the next day, including weekends. "On Saturdays and Sundays I go to the races, and besides, I always have activities related to the Consell," he justified. However, he acknowledged that he did not record the entries and exits of the vehicles anywhere nor did he specify most of these activities in the Consell's institutional agenda. From now on, he assured that the cars will be permanently labeled and will spend every night at the General Riera headquarters.

The PP and Vox close ranks with Bestard

During the appearance, only the PSOE and MÉS per Mallorca demanded concrete information from Bestard, while the spokesperson for El Pi, Antoni Salas, limited himself to requesting swift internal reports on the vice-president's comings and goings. "I ask for the maximum possible explanations and clarity," he stated.

In contrast, the PP and Vox, who govern together in the island institution, have closed ranks with Bestard. The spokesperson for the popular party, Núria Riera (who was sanctioned last September for absenteeism), defended the "transparency and good governance" of the Consell. "On the same Monday, the president [Llorenç Galmés] summoned Bestard, and reports were requested," he stated: the same day the controversy erupted. "We will not look the other way, we will act with prudence until we have all the information, but all necessary measures will be taken," he said, and he accused the left of "trying to gain political advantage" from the situation.

However, various Vox sources suspect that the outbreak of the controversy comes from "friendly fire", as explained by ARA Balears. An opinion that is also shared among the left-wing island councilors, since Bestard, who resigned from his organic positions due to differences with the Vox leadership, has a tense relationship with the spokesperson for the Vox island group, Antoni Gili. Precisely, the person who defended him at the hearing. After referring to his party's official position on the matter, he has railed against "ferocious opposition" and "left-wing sensationalism." "Some intend to convey to citizens the idea that any use of public funds that is not done in a rigid and bureaucratic manner constitutes an abuse, and that is not the case," he argued: "Management is complex."

"He doesn't answer the questions"

The PSIB spokesperson, Catalina Cladera, has asked Bestard a series of specific questions: among them, if he "considers that he has breached the ethical code" or if he "paid for the fuel" or not. Also, the spokesperson for MÉS per Mallorca, Catalina Inés Perelló, has asked Bestard why he "had two official cars" parked at his home and if he "ordered the removal of the vehicle's livery". However, the vice-president has evaded them. "He does not answer the questions", Perelló reproached him. Both spokespersons have demanded his resignation.