The courts are having a field day with the Andalusian government. The Investigation Court No. 13 has officially launched a probe into the administration of Juan Manuel Moreno, following a complaint from the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party). The scandal? Allegedly funneling €243 million into private clinics without so much as a competitive bid, all under the excuse of an emergency law that was, oh-so-conveniently, already canceled. Whoops!
According to the complaint, the Andalusian government apparently thought, «Why let a little thing like legality get in the way of business?»—so they kept using an expired COVID contract law to keep those sweet, sweet euros flowing into private hands. The dirty details were first spilled by elDiario.es last year, and the legal aftermath is now hitting the fan.
In fact, this is the first time the Moreno government, after six years of ruling Andalusia, finds itself under judicial scrutiny. Not a bad run, but every streak must end, and it looks like it’s time for a reckoning. The complaint, filed back in June by the PSOE team under Juan Espadas, accuses the government of some light malfeasance—like embezzlement and abuse of power. You know, the usual.
The fun part? The Andalusian government knew they were breaking the rules. The emergency contracts they’d handed out without competition to private clinics were still active two years after the pandemic law they used as a shield had been scrapped. Only after elDiario.es blew the whistle did the government decide, “Eh, maybe we should stop?” But not before they racked up four contract extensions, turning the original €70 million price tag into a jaw-dropping €243 million.
Meanwhile, the PSOE had been teasing this lawsuit like a slow-cooking drama, telling journalists, “It’s coming, it’s coming,” but never saying when. Now we know they’d already filed the damn thing three months ago! Classic politician move: keep your cards close to your chest, but with a wink.