Balbina Herrera Clarifies Son's Contract Was Awarded Legally

Balbina Herrera, a former presidential candidate and current Secretary General of the Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD), clarified that the contract awarded to her son during the administration of her party colleague Laurentino Cortizo is legal. According to Herrera, state institutions are continuous. "That is institutionalism," stated the politician. Her reaction comes after the Budget Committee of the National Assembly did not approve a budget transfer requested by MiBus, which directly affected Herrera's son. "That is, there was a procedure, a review, and judicial control. I understand that, due to my status as a public figure and political leader, this topic generates interest and debate," she stated. Herrera argued that for the awarding of that contract, there was an open public tender, competition between companies, the right to challenge, and in fact, there was also an independent judicial review, as well as the respective ruling of the Supreme Court of Justice in her favor. "My responsibility is to speak clearly to the citizenry," Herrera said. "But legality is not defined by perceptions or surnames: it is defined by law and by the decisions of the courts," she insisted. "If there is a recognized obligation under the law, as in this case, it must be fulfilled. And when there are doubts, they are clarified with facts," she concluded. Carlos Sánchez Fábrega, director of MiBus, detailed in the Commission that the contract between that entity and the contractor company was approved after the Covid-19 pandemic and consisted of the installation of surveillance cameras, which, after a maintenance period, would be delivered to Mi Bus, as was effectively done.