The Ministry of Interior has rejected the PP's accusations of alleged "obscurantism" in the granting of the Order of Merit of the Civil Guard to Víctor de Aldama in 2022. In a parliamentary response, the department headed by Fernando Grande-Marlaska assures that the procedure has control, supervision, and publicity guarantees.
The controversy arises after the popular party questioned the granting of the medal to the businessman, considered a key figure in the Koldo case and currently investigated for alleged corruption schemes. The PP maintains that the system for granting these distinctions lacks sufficient mechanisms to preserve the exemplary nature of those decorated.
In the face of these criticisms, Interior defends that the current regulations already incorporate conduct criteria and allow proposals to be rejected when there are open judicial or disciplinary proceedings, as well as unfavorable uncancelled records.
In addition, the ministry recalls that the granting of these medals follows a regulated procedure that includes proposal, instruction, reports, resolution, and official publication phases, thus guaranteeing the traceability of each recognition.
Interior also highlights that the regulations contemplate the possibility of opening files to prohibit the use of a decoration when there are reasons related to the conduct of the awarded person. Precisely, the Government already initiated that process regarding the medal awarded to Aldama.
During an appearance in the Senate at the end of 2024, Marlaska recalled that Aldama's collaboration with the Civil Guard dated back at least to 2017, during the Government of Mariano Rajoy, and pointed out that the file that led to the granting of the medal originated years before it was awarded.
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