Vulnerabilities in the contracting system
The model of public procurement in small locations in Catalonia, with special attention to the Alt Urgell region, has structural deficiencies that facilitate the lack of transparency, the embezzlement of funds and the unclear interaction between political, administrative and private actors.
Public works and political funding
Public works have become a key element in the dynamics of irregular financing of political parties in Catalonia, with notable examples such as the scandals of the Palau de la Música and the cases Boreas and Mercury. These incidents have deteriorated public confidence in local institutions.
Administrative management challenges
In municipalities with less than 5,000 inhabitants, such as the 18 of the Alt Urgell, the outsourcing of responsibilities to bodies such as the County Council or the Lleida Provincial Council often dilutes responsibility and hinders citizen control. Although this practice is legal, it can lead to networks of complicity that concentrate the funds of various city councils, with a bureaucracy that does not guarantee transparency.
Risks associated with public fund management
The concentration of regional budgets in the Alt Urgell, where only one municipality exceeds 5,000 inhabitants, reveals the extension of the public resources dedicated to the works, which can attract private and political interests.
Irregular and overprinting funding
There are advancements of companies in exchange for rights, such as the exploitation of aggregates in Peramola, where the City Council demanded compensation for the repair of roads, but finally these expenses were covered with the municipal budget.
Corruption patterns in public projects
Corruption models such as those at the Palau de la Música are replicated locally, with awards to related companies and the possibility of payments of commissions or false billing, as the hiring tables often do not perform rigorous audits.
Complications in project planning
The complexity in the award of public works can result in failed projects, such as the Montferrer roundabout or the tear of water that Oliana, Peramola and Bassella had to connect, highlighting the lack of planning and deviation of funds.
Opacity mechanisms
The County Council, acting as an intermediary between multiple municipalities, can become a nucleus of opaque decisions with low accounts surrender, while the absence of external control by the Courts of Auditors or Anti -Corruption Fiscalies adds a significant risk.
Effects on public trust
The perception that public works only benefit from certain groups instead of improving public services generates a feeling of distance among citizens. This becomes more evident when projects do not address real needs or when irregularities are not sanctioned.
Roads to greater transparency
To combat these vulnerabilities, it is essential to implement compulsory external audits, create real -time transparency platforms, protect complainants and encourage citizen participation in projects supervision. Only in this way can be guaranteed efficient use of public resources and improving institutional trust.
