The Socialist Group in the Cabildo of Lanzarote has denounced a “new episode of waste and opacity” by the insular president, Oswaldo Betancort, involving a trip to Texas that will cost over €250,000 of public funds.
Concerns Over Transparency
The PSOE reminded the public that the contract has been processed “through a private company awarded without a bidding process, a model that prevents a clear breakdown of the expenses and their specific applications.”
Ariagona González, the spokesperson for the Socialist Group, noted that the Cabildo is currently “in technical bankruptcy, a situation that has already forced the cancellation of projects and commitments made to the citizens.”
Criticism of Spending Priorities
“This is absolute incoherence: while initiatives are being suspended due to lack of funds, Betancort finds over a quarter of a million euros for a trip to Texas. The island is facing a water crisis, a housing emergency, and cuts to basic services; yet the insular president prefers to allocate money to political marketing.”
Transparency Issues in Outsourcing
González warned that this outsourcing system obscures access to key information such as invoices, fees, travel, allowances, production, and logistics costs, thereby reducing transparency and complicating public scrutiny.
“A private company is handpicked precisely to conceal how every euro is spent. This is not an isolated mistake; it is a pattern of opacity. There is no verifiable return for the island, no solid economic report, and no measurable objectives. There is only propaganda funded by public money while the Cabildo admits it cannot meet its commitments,” concluded the Socialist spokesperson.
