Not only does it seem to be tragsa in the spotlight of the government plugs. As this media has been able to know through European sources, alarms have also shot themselves in Cofides, a mostly public capital company (also participated by private companies) since the Treasury has authorized the creation of four new directors paid with between 130,000 and 160,000 euros.
What happened in Tragsa with the lover of the former minister José Luis Ábalos places the focus on this decision in case they are created to “place”, according to the PP, considered related to the Government of Pedro Sánchez.
Specifically, according to the Finance Document to which this media has had access, the initiative of the creation of the four management positions part of COFIDES, but is channeled through the Ministry of Economy of Carlos Body (of the Undersecretariat of the Ministry of Economy), and is addressed to the Secretary of State for Budgets and Expenses.
The reasons that COFIDES gives for the creation of four high remuneration jobs are that the entity has experienced “during the last decade” an “important expansion of its mandates, as well as an increase in the volume of assets under its management, so it needs to undertake organizational adaptations.”
“In addition, it is working on the elaboration of a new strategic plan for the next triennium that will allow such organizational changes,” adds the document, to justify the creation of a corporate director of investments with a remuneration of 159,576.23 euros; of Secretary General and Director of Corporate Legal Advice, with 150,189.39 euros; as Corporate Director of Strategy and Institutional Relations, with 131,415.71 euros, and Corporate Director of Communication and Marketing, with 131,415.71 euros.
Together with the creation of these new management positions, the president’s remuneration is updated to 187,736.74 euros; and, of the general director, until 173,656.48 euros.
The president is Ángela Pérez, who held the position less than a year ago (appointed on July 8, 2024), after a wide career in the private sector (especially in banking). Therefore, in the main opposition party they are on alert to see how the positions are assigned: the appropriate thing is that it is for internal contest to prevent the minimum suspicion from being lifted, as has happened with Tragsa, where the plug of Jesica Rodríguez has uncovered complaints of recurring practices aimed at placing “friends” of the government.
“Alarms have shot themselves since under the reasons adduced by Cofides (which also has great Spanish banks), plugs can be covered up,” popular sources argue.
However, Cofides has managed a portfolio worth 5,000 million euros (according to the latest activity memory report), when a decade ago it reached 1,000 million (it was in 927): that is, it has been quintupled.
By order of the Government, in a decree approved in December 2023, COFIDES has recently managed to manage a coinversion fund endowed with 2,000 million euros to attract foreign investment to Spain.
During the pandemic, with the management of the recapitalization fund, endowed with 1,000 million euros to give oxygen to medium -sized companies with problems due to the breakdown of the economy, it already had enough work. It is also having a lot of activity with European funds.
At this point, knowledgeable sources of the company point out that it is possible that the Government seeks to reinforce the public company to try to give way to European funds, since Moncloa is being unable to channel them towards the productive economy (in this way, in the eyes of Brussels, make them see that they are running).
The truth is that the company, unlike Tragsa, also has private capital and this allows, in turn, that there is more control over maneuvers that leave the ordinary hiring channels. That is, to prevent new ones.
In fact, among the financing actions that COFIDES has carried out include Spanish companies with a lot of weight and with ambition to internationalize. In that direction they are leading their entire strategy.