Salvador Illa maintains confidence in his chief of staff despite being judicially investigated
A judge from Martorell has put Eduard Rivas under scrutiny for various public contracts when he was mayor of Esparreguera
BarcelonaPresident Salvador Illa defended his chief of staff, Eduard Rivas, this Tuesday morning, after his involvement in alleged irregularities when he was mayor of Esparreguera (Baix Llobregat) became known. Rivas, who led the town hall of this municipality for the PSC between 2015 and 2024, is being investigated as part of a process that probes public contracts of the council, according to has been reported by El Periódico, which explains that the Mossos confiscated the socialist official's mobile phone three months ago. Illa has reaffirmed his "full confidence" in his collaborator.
"Regarding the information published about the chief of staff of the President of the Generalitat, we express our full confidence in him," reacted sources from the Presidency in a statement, adding that Rivas is the "first to be interested" in the investigation being clarified "as soon as possible." The same sources assure, in this regard, that the former mayor, who left his municipal post almost two years ago when Illa came to power, has "total willingness to cooperate in whatever is necessary." In a press conference, the government spokesperson, Sílvia Paneque, limited herself to reaffirming the content of the statement and opted not to answer when asked since when the Government had knowledge of Rivas's indictment, why it had not made it public, and whether the chief of staff had placed his position at the president's disposal.
The information from El Periódico explains that on January 15, the police confiscated Rivas's mobile phone by order of a judge from Martorell. The device has not yet been returned to him and, according to the aforementioned newspaper, the dumping and analysis of the information it contains is still pending. All of this, within the framework of an investigation that would revolve around irregularities of the Fundació per a la Inclusió Laboral (FIL), based in Esparreguera and dedicated to offering work to people with intellectual disabilities, risk of exclusion, and vulnerability. The judge is investigating whether part of the money from public contracts ended up covering private expenses linked to the entity, according to the article.
Regarding Rivas, who appears in the case as investigated, the confiscation of his phone has been included in a separate piece that remains secret and from which, therefore, the exact content has not been disclosed. In the same piece, however, all the documentation that the Mossos also confiscated on January 15 at the Esparreguera City Council regarding various cleaning and public space maintenance service contracts that the council awarded to FIL between the years 2022 and 2024, when Illa's chief of staff was the mayor, is included.
Opposition criticism
The opposition has pounced on Illa's executive following the investigation of his right-hand man by the justice system. Specifically, the spokesperson for Junts in the Parliament, Salvador Vergés, has requested "the corresponding explanations in the coming hours" in the face of "facts that could be very serious". In the same vein, the spokesperson for the Catalan PP, Juan Fernández, has asserted that it is "an unprecedented situation" that requires explanations and that "Illa should choose his companies better". At the same time, the leader of Vox, Ignacio Garriga, has also argued that "everything that comes close to Illa and the PSC ends with suspicions of corruption", while the CUP has said that this case "is the latest example of a government that is a disaster", according to deputy Xavier Pellicer. The anti-capitalist politician has stressed that the president must "restore order" and take "the pertinent measures".
On the other hand, the investiture partners have been more restrained in their press conferences. The spokesperson for ERC in the chamber, Ester Capella, has emphasized that she respects the presumption of innocence of Illa's chief of staff and has indicated that they will make a statement "when there are judicial resolutions" –although she has pointed out that the Republicans have a "different way" of doing things, with more speed. At the same time, the spokesperson for Comuns, David Cid, has demanded "maximum transparency" and "collaboration with justice", clarifying that they will demand Rivas's resignation if his "direct involvement" in the alleged corruption case is confirmed.