PSOEM Spokesperson Defends Tourism Project Amid Corruption Accusations
The spokesperson for PSOEM in the Madrid City Council, Reyes Maroto, defended the messages she exchanged with businessman Víctor de Aldama during her tenure as Minister of Industry, Trade, and Tourism. On Thursday, Maroto stated that these communications were related to a project aimed at tourism reactivation following the coronavirus pandemic. She emphasized that this tourism initiative was unrelated to the ongoing Koldo case and the Hydrocarbons case, in which de Aldama is allegedly implicated.
El Confidencial reported a screenshot of a message from Maroto, dated May 2020, in which she expressed her apologies for a delay in communication and mentioned passing de Aldama's contact to the new director of Turespaña for further engagement. Maroto confirmed that this message was part of the government's efforts to revive the economy and alleviate the adverse effects of the health crisis on the tourism sector.
This project, Maroto clarified, reached various levels of government involvement, including the Ministry, Community of Madrid, and the City Council, but ultimately did not progress. She insisted that her actions have always been transparent and that there is no connection between her communications with Aldama and the corruption investigations at hand.
In a previous statement, Maroto neither confirmed nor denied her prior conversations with Aldama, urging him to provide credible evidence to substantiate his claims after he alleged in a judicial declaration that such communications had occurred during her ministerial tenure.
In response to criticisms from the Popular Party, Maroto accused them of exploiting Aldama's allegations as a platform to disparage the government. "Mr. Aldama has a strategy of pointing out innocent people, and unfortunately, the Popular Party is acting as a megaphone for him," she lamented. Maroto expressed concern that these accusations detract attention from the necessary explanations regarding the corruption cases affecting the Madrid City Council.
The socialist spokesperson concluded by pointing out that the political utilization of her past conversations by the PP aims to undermine the credibility of her governance. However, she reaffirmed her commitment to defending her integrity in the face of these allegations.
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