Mayor Defends Legality of Cultural Walk Project Amid Allegations
Alcaldesa’s Strong Stance
The Mayor of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Carolina Darias, has firmly defended the legality of the competition through which the City Council selected the project for the Guiniguada Walk of Canary Culture and Arts.
These comments were made on Monday, coinciding with the commencement of the second phase of the Ice Factory’s construction. This comes after one of the bidders announced their intention to file a formal complaint on Tuesday with the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Las Palmas, citing alleged irregularities in the competition.
Mixed Reactions to Complaints
Darias expressed her “surprise” at the complaint, lamenting that “turning to the Public Prosecutor has become customary.” In response to this announcement, she stated that the City Council would act “with determination, confidence, and legality at the forefront” to “continue working for the benefit of the city.”
Defending the Competition Process
Regarding the competition, which was won by the AWA proposal from the Batlle i Roig Architecture team, the Mayor defended the process, noting that the competition had “clear criteria that were never challenged.” She highlighted the involvement of “an internationally esteemed jury that praised the thoroughness and rigour of the entire procedure.”
As Darias emphasised, there was “citizen participation with a clear order” and, once the decision was made, the council acted “scrupulously according to established guidelines.” Following this, “an appeal was submitted to the Contracts Tribunal in the Autonomous Community, which was unequivocal.”
Legal Resolution in Favour of the Council
She added that the Tribunal “issued a resolution that was a significant legal setback for the team that sought to suspend the process, to which the Tribunal stated was not permissible.” Additionally, there was “a final resolution that dismissed this appeal,” confirming that the City Council had acted lawfully, maintaining a presumption of good practice and fully adhering to the criteria.
Thus, she reiterated that she has “the utmost confidence in the work carried out.”
A Vision for the Future
Carolina Darias noted that the Guiniguada Walk of Canary Culture and Arts project is “one of the most important projects for the city, both now and in the future.” She highlighted that it represents “an improvement project and an intervention in one of the most significant areas of the city.”
