The Cerdán case tsunami shakes Armengol and deactivates the PSIB

PalmThe tsunami of the Cerdán case has put the PSOE on the ropes to the point that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been forced to make leadership changes. In this context, the Speaker of Congress and absolute leader of the PSIB, Francina Armengol, has also been affected. Although she is not under investigation, she was singled out by the brokerage firm in the Koldo case, Víctor de Aldama. Although sources within her team emphasize that there is nothing firm against her and denounce a smear campaign by the PP, socialist voices admit that the situation has affected and "will affect" the PSIB, a federation absolutely dependent on Armengol. The government of Marga Prohens has not hesitated to dig into the wound and, in the latest control sessions in Parliament, has used the case to defuse the PSIB's parliamentary opposition.

In her statement before the judge, Aldama pointed the finger at Socialist ministers and also at Armengol, for the purchase and sale of medical supplies during the pandemic, when she was president of the Balearic Islands. The focus is on a €3.7 million contract signed with the company Soluciones de Gestión y Empresas SK. In recent days, several right-wing media outlets have claimed that the Central Operative Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard is already preparing a report on them. The right has already requested four appearances by Armengol: three just over a year ago in the Senate, the Congress and the Balearic Parliament, and a second one on Tuesday in the Senate.

The PP accuses Armengol of lying.

While in her previous appearances, Armengol addressed the context in which the contract, which was subsequently investigated by the UCO (Central University of Catalonia), was signed, the PP is demanding an explanation this time, directly accusing her of lying to the previous committees. Specifically, the PP is criticizing her for implying that her contact with Koldo García, the former advisor to former minister José Luis Ábalos, was minimal, and for saying that she doesn't know Aldama, all of whom are central to the plot under investigation. But what exactly did she say?

In the Balearic Parliament, Armengol said she had no involvement in the case under suspicion. Questioned about García, she responded: "I don't remember all the communications I had four years ago. What I do rule out is having spoken with Koldo García about contracting any company." She expressed herself in the Congress in the same way. "When I saw this in the press, I asked the Minister of Health: Did we buy these masks?" she said. In that appearance, she did admit to contacts with García. "I have had some contact with Mr. García; he was an advisor to the Minister of Transport, and I cannot remember what I discussed with him," she explained. "What I can say with absolute certainty is that I never spoke with that gentleman about contracts with any company." She added: "We are so adamant about this because I am convinced of it." In the same appearance, the former director general of IB-Salut, Manuel Palomino, stated that in April 2020, he received a phone call from the Ministry of Public Works' switchboard from a person he did not remember, who asked him if he wanted to participate in a large purchase of masks and provided him with the contact information of Ábalos's then advisor. The Armengol administration has always maintained that they opted to purchase masks in light of the health emergency.

Armengol insisted on the same version in the Senate, responding that García was never in her office, nor did anyone in her administration ever eat together. However, last October, several media outlets leaked a Civil Guard report detailing various WhatsApp messages between the then-president and García. According to this information, Armengol allegedly sent her the phone number of Health Minister Patrícia Gómez. The former president insisted that these revelations do not contradict what she explained in committee.

In this appearance, Armengol also referred to Aldama. "No," she replied when asked if she knew him. It is at this point that the People's Party (PP) has accused the Speaker of Congress of lying, because last June, the businessman said on a television program that they had met. Shortly after, Armengol admitted to meeting him in Palma, but placed it within the context of a meeting with a Globalia delegation.

Sources within the PSIB attribute this change of story to an oversight by the former president and accuse the PP of putting on "a spectacle." "The Catalan government has been investigating the contracts for two years and hasn't managed to find anything," these sources insist. "The PP's strategy is to silence the opposition by putting on this spectacle," the same sources point out. Prohens is rubbing his hands together at this situation, which is damaging his main rival's electoral chances. However, the PSIB is closing ranks behind its leader. "It will affect us, but it will end," the party maintains.

"Uncertainty" heading into 2027

For political scientist Guillermo Bezzina, Armengol's situation "generates uncertainty and insecurity in the PSIB." "Having an opposition leader in question is not good for any party, but especially a left-wing one like the PSIB, because it generates discouragement among voters," he believes. "All of this fuels the far right," he adds. The shadow of doubt extends not only to the president, but also to the PSIB parliamentary group, since its leading figures were part of the previous government. "That is ammunition for the PP," he warns. The expert believes that if the Cerdán case "continues to affect Armengol, it will be difficult to reach the next electoral cycle with such a questionable figure." However, for the moment, the PSIB has "no alternative."