Director of Teruel Parador Denies Allegations of Misconduct Involving Former Minister
During a Senate inquiry, Joaquín Gutiérrez refutes claims of parties and damage during José Luis Ábalos's stay in September 2020.
Joaquín Gutiérrez, the director of the Parador de Teruel, appeared before the Senate on Monday to deny allegations of 'parties or damage' occurring during the stay of former minister José Luis Ábalos, former Government delegate in Aragón and spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, and former Aragonese president Javier Lambán in September 2020, amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Gutiérrez stated, 'There was no damage, complaint, or anything at all.'
In his testimony before the investigative commission on the Koldo case, Gutiérrez confirmed that Ábalos stayed at the parador from the night of September 15 to 16, 2020, in a suite capable of accommodating six people.
He clarified that Ábalos arrived by car, accompanied by his then-advisor Koldo García, noting, 'There were no vans present,' in response to questions from senators from the Popular Party (PP) and Vox regarding claims of vans with 'women' or 'prostitutes brought from Alicante' who were not guests at the parador.
Gutiérrez recounted that García informed him that Ábalos was 'tired' from the journey, prompting him to request the restaurant menu so that the former minister could order dinner to his room.
He maintained, 'If there had been any anomaly, it would have been communicated to me.' He reiterated that the night in question was 'entirely normal.' The group accompanying Ábalos consisted of eight individuals, each accommodated in separate rooms, with reservations made through Viajes El Corte Inglés.
Senator Ángel Pelayo Gordillo of Vox emphasized that his 'opinion' on the events contradicted anonymous testimonies from parador employees given to some media outlets.
Gutiérrez responded to Gordillo, 'This is not my opinion, pardon; this is the truth of what happened,' and expressed skepticism regarding the clarity of employee testimonies, suggesting some might have been 'influenced' by the press.
Additionally, Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, Pilar Alegría, is scheduled to testify before the same investigative commission on Thursday, as summoned by the PP majority regarding an alleged party involving the former minister.
Alegría has denied any knowledge of the event and accused others of attempting to implicate her for malign purposes, including facing a campaign of misogynistic harassment against her on social media.
The PP has asserted that the minister should provide clarity on the events purportedly occurring at the parador during the night of September 15 to 16, 2020, when she served as Government delegate in Aragón.
Gutiérrez stated, 'There was no damage, complaint, or anything at all.'
In his testimony before the investigative commission on the Koldo case, Gutiérrez confirmed that Ábalos stayed at the parador from the night of September 15 to 16, 2020, in a suite capable of accommodating six people.
He clarified that Ábalos arrived by car, accompanied by his then-advisor Koldo García, noting, 'There were no vans present,' in response to questions from senators from the Popular Party (PP) and Vox regarding claims of vans with 'women' or 'prostitutes brought from Alicante' who were not guests at the parador.
Gutiérrez recounted that García informed him that Ábalos was 'tired' from the journey, prompting him to request the restaurant menu so that the former minister could order dinner to his room.
He maintained, 'If there had been any anomaly, it would have been communicated to me.' He reiterated that the night in question was 'entirely normal.' The group accompanying Ábalos consisted of eight individuals, each accommodated in separate rooms, with reservations made through Viajes El Corte Inglés.
Senator Ángel Pelayo Gordillo of Vox emphasized that his 'opinion' on the events contradicted anonymous testimonies from parador employees given to some media outlets.
Gutiérrez responded to Gordillo, 'This is not my opinion, pardon; this is the truth of what happened,' and expressed skepticism regarding the clarity of employee testimonies, suggesting some might have been 'influenced' by the press.
Additionally, Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, Pilar Alegría, is scheduled to testify before the same investigative commission on Thursday, as summoned by the PP majority regarding an alleged party involving the former minister.
Alegría has denied any knowledge of the event and accused others of attempting to implicate her for malign purposes, including facing a campaign of misogynistic harassment against her on social media.
The PP has asserted that the minister should provide clarity on the events purportedly occurring at the parador during the night of September 15 to 16, 2020, when she served as Government delegate in Aragón.
Translation:
Translated by AI
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
