Judge José Ignacio Vilaplana has interrogated two former senior officials of the defunct Andalusian Foundation for Training and Employment (Faffe) in relation to an investigation into the hiring of family members of former PSOE officials and executives who had been placed by the socialist government in the Junta de Andalucía through this public entity.
These two former Faffe officials are being investigated for alleged misconduct and embezzlement. The magistrate also summoned 21 individuals to testify, 17 of whom were former executives, leaders, and technicians of the disappeared public foundation, while the others were heads of supplier companies. According to legal sources, these individuals denied having made contracts on their own behalf or having initiated proposals in this regard.
Despite claiming to be unaware of the details of personnel hiring, they acknowledged that some of the hired individuals were relatives of executives and officials of the Junta de Andalucía during the PSOE government. The former territorial directors of Faffe, Marta T.L. and Araceli H.C., argued that they were not involved in the alleged rigging of supplier contracts and personnel selection processes, postponing their testimony until March 25.
In January, the judge decided to expand the investigation to examine potential nepotism in Faffe, focusing on the unjustified hiring of at least 84 individuals without following the principles of publicity and free competition, nor the criteria of merit and capacity. During the interrogation, those under investigation claimed not to remember the most uncomfortable details.
It was noted that, in some cases, placement in job positions at Faffe was facilitated through an email in which management indicated whom to hire, with specific family ties. The investigation is also focused on the improper retention of personnel in artificially created positions and the manipulation of procedures to justify subsidies.
Additionally, the irregular awarding of contracts to supplier companies is being examined, bypassing legal procedures and manipulating tenders in order to fraudulently justify the amount of subsidies received.
