Spain's María Jesús Montero regrets trusting ex‑SEPI chief Vicente Fernández in corruption scandal

Socialist Party leader María Jesús Montero said she regrets having trusted former SEPI president Vicente Fernández, stating that no warning was given about his alleged wrongdoing. Montero emphasized that the investigated activities took place two years after Fernández left SEPI and noted that recent court decisions had cleared former SEPI official Carlos Moreno of wrongdoing. She defended the professionalism of current SEPI head Belén Gualda and said she will investigate any irregularities. The scandal involves accusations that Fernández and former SEPI director Vicente Fernández sought a 2% commission from companies accessing public financing through the pandemic rescue fund, using firms such as Allies & Altera and Mediaciones Martínez SL. A separate transparency review found that former SEPI deputy María Jesús Garrido Solís had no recorded compatibility requests for private consulting work, only academic activities. Opposition leader Antonio Repullo (PP) criticized the PSOE, demanding explanations from Montero and calling for the Socialist Party to be indicted, while also highlighting Andalusia’s fiscal deficits. The controversy centers on alleged corruption linked to SEPI’s pandemic rescue operations and its political fallout within Spain’s ruling party.