In statements made by the VOX spokesperson at the latest council meeting held at Manilva Town Hall, Antonio Marín, referring to the notes made by the municipal comptroller, said that «no Municipal Group, except VOX, submitted justification of its expenses to the Town Hall». The VOX councillor therefore urged all parties to «carry out an exercise in transparency and submit justification of these expenses to the municipal comptroller on a regular basis».
In this regard, Antonio Marín said that «so that it is clear to all residents, this is what we at VOX call political spending». That is, the upkeep of the Municipal Groups, a contribution of public money so that political parties can meet the usual costs of their municipal activity. This, he said, is «necessary and legal, although it is essential that the accounts are perfectly clear, since, as this is money from all taxpayers, it must be used for its intended purpose and must benefit residents through our work».
The VOX councillor also took the opportunity to thank the comptroller for the note in which he reports that, at the Town Hall, «no rules are still being established to justify these expenses and, apart from the VOX Municipal Group, the rest have not submitted any supporting documentation». He explained that VOX, «every two months, submits a statement of accounts to the comptroller on what we have spent the money on», which justifies the expenses incurred in that period. Marín also acknowledged that «it is true that it is not compulsory, because until the council meeting demands it there is no reason to submit it» but, he said, «I believe it is an exercise in transparency for the comptroller to have to hand what money is being spent on, because it is public money».
To conclude, the VOX spokesperson said that, in addition to submitting this information every two months on a voluntary basis, he has «an obligation to the party to submit this information monthly». In other words, he continued, «every month I have to report to the party on what we spend public money on». Addressing the other groups, he then said, «I invite the rest of the parties to join voluntarily in reporting this type of accounts. I think it is healthy, it is sound and, what is more, if at any point something incorrect is detected, the comptroller himself can give advance warning and avoid bigger problems».
