The Senate Commission on Incompatibilities has accepted the PSOE proposal to investigate the assets of the mayoress of Marbella and PP senator, Ángeles Muñoz, to clarify whether she violated the Code of Conduct of the Cortes Generales by not declaring all her assets at the beginning of the legislature.
In a meeting held behind closed doors, the commission has approved not only starting this procedure provided for in the 2020 code for the first time, but also launching a work plan that includes the collection of documentation referring to the senator's assets, who may be summoned to give explanations together with other people summoned to contribute to the intended purposes.
The spokesperson for the socialist group in the Upper House, Eva Granados, celebrated the decision adopted by the commission at a press conference because it contributes to the "rendering of accounts" before the citizenry to which all public representatives are obliged and has stressed that "without transparency, there is no honesty".
Parliamentary sources have explained to EFE that the opinion that included the activation of the procedure has been approved unanimously, while the work plan proposed by the PSOE has had the majority support of the socialist group, ERC, Junts and the PNV, and the abstention of the popular group.
Formally, the objective of the initiative is to determine if Ángeles Muñoz violated the Code of Conduct by not listing properties in her initial declaration of assets, which she later declared based on press information that also echoed the prosecution of her husband in an alleged corrupt plot and his stepson for drug trafficking and money laundering.
The socialist group is determined to request that the senator appear before the commission and according to her spokesperson, Eva Granados, she has no doubt that she will do so "to clarify any doubts" since she "is in what Mr. Feijóo understands as people of good". And it is that, contrary to what happens with the parliamentary investigation commissions, in this case those summoned are not obliged to appear.
The work plan approved with 16 votes in favor and 10 abstentions provides for a first phase to collect all the documentation the groups require to contribute to the investigation; the Board and Spokespersons of the commission will have to approve the requests.
The second phase, of appearances, will be held from March 14 to 31, and the last one will consist of preparing a report by a working group made up of two senators from the PSOE, two from the PP and one from each of the other groups, up to 11 members.
The idea is that the report can be submitted to the Senate Board around May 4, with sufficient distance from the municipal elections on the 28th of that same month.
The PSOE suspects that the mayoress of Marbella violated the regulations governing the register of interests of deputies and senators, as well as the 2020 Code of Conduct. In its article 2, it establishes that parliamentarians must guide their conduct by the principles of "integrity, transparency , diligence, honesty" and also with "responsibility and respect" towards the Chambers and citizens. Article 3 states that there will be a conflict of interest when a parliamentarian has "personal interest" that may influence "in an inadequate manner the fulfillment of her duties."
Ángeles Muñoz, as emphasized by the PSOE, would have hidden part of his assets by admitting in a second statement that a 560-square-meter house in Sweden was entirely his property and not just 50%, like other properties.
The Socialists also emphasize the "disturbing reality" that the senator's assets, married in separation of property, have accumulated assets worth more than 12 million euros, after years dedicated exclusively to politics and without receiving salary in her capacity as mayoress of Marbella.
