Carlos Mazón, the leader of the Valencian Community People’s Party, spoke today in the Cortes about launching a formal inquiry. His plan is to appoint a commission that will examine each emergency health care equipment contract individually. The central question driving the move is what the Generalitat Valenciana did during the covid pandemic and how every procurement decision was made, from the initial emergency declarations to the final deliveries. Mazón’s announcement was made in a media briefing after he learned of the assessments published by both the Sindicatura de Comptes and the Anti-Fraud Agency. He stressed that a thorough review is essential to uncover the full truth and to ensure that no stone is left unturned in examining the contracts tied to critical health products and services during the crisis.
The PPCV president explained that the Sindicatura de Comptes and the Anti-Fraud Agency have signaled serious irregularities in the emergency contracts awarded during the pandemic. He called on the popular group to appear alongside the director general of the Anti-Fraud Agency to present the investigation’s findings and to explain the processes behind those emergency purchases. Mazón underscored the need for clear explanations of how contracts were granted, how pricing was determined, and what oversight measures were in place at the time. The purpose, he argued, is not to point fingers without basis, but to ensure accountability and to restore public trust in how public funds were spent during a period of extraordinary strain on the health system.
According to Mazón, the party acted with responsibility, dedicating significant effort to engagement and oversight throughout the pandemic response. He noted that when the moment for a comprehensive evaluation arrives, the PPCV will fully participate, having already agreed to cooperate with inquiries and to cooperate with watchdog bodies. The central undertaking now, he added, is to oversee the entire process and to demand accountability from the Puig administration. He indicated that the matter extends beyond a couple of contracts and concerns a broader landscape of procurement activity, where some costs appeared inflated and where references to irregularities could be found across numerous agreements tied to personal protective equipment and other essential supplies.
Mazón pointed to the fact that the investigation signals the existence of irregularities not just in isolated instances, but across multiple contracts. He warned that some contracts showed costs that were higher than expected and that the purchasing timelines did not always align with the urgency of the crisis. He also flagged concerns about the involvement of entities in unrelated sectors that suddenly entered the medical equipment rental business, raising questions about the transparency of the selection and procurement processes. The aim of the inquiry, he contended, is to determine why certain suppliers were chosen, what criteria guided those choices, and whether there were conflicts of interest or gaps in the competitive bidding process that could have affected the public purse.
Mazón emphasized that, in March, when the emergency measures were first set in motion, some materials were contracted under pressurized timelines but arrived months later. He described scenarios in which items requested in March were delivered up to nine months afterward, with payments made in advance and sometimes accompanied by additional charges. He asserted that these timelines and costs have seeded a lack of confidence in how the procurement work was conducted, and they warrant a careful, methodical review. The overarching message from Mazón was simple: this is the moment to scrutinize, verify, and understand every step of the procurement chain, from the initial need assessment to the late-stage delivery and invoicing.
Finally, Mazón argued that now is the time to open the books and assess whether the leftist administration has practiced true transparency. He claimed that the emphasis on investigation and accountability should reassure citizens that their money is being managed prudently and that waste and mismanagement will not be tolerated. In his view, the pursuit of clarity and responsibility is not an act of political vengeance but a necessary step to restore confidence in public institutions. The underlying expectation is that the inquiry will illuminate the reasons behind certain procurement decisions, identify where delays occurred, and provide a clear account of how emergency funds were allocated and disbursed. Citizens deserve to know how funds meant for health protection were used, Mazón concluded, and the inquiry should deliver findings that can guide future policy and procurement practices so that lessons from the pandemic are properly learned and applied.