ERC is accused of resorting to 'fake news' to cover up the DGAIA scandal

Oriol Junqueras's attempt to relaunch ERC's project is being undermined by the DGAIA scandal. The Republicans wanted the refounding congress, where Junqueras was re-elected as president, to serve as a fresh start. They aimed to leave behind not only internal division but also to bury the scandal of the B structure that linked the party to dirty war tactics.

In this regard, the scandal is detrimental to ERC because it calls into question their management of the institutions. However, it also reinforces the idea of a party willing to do anything to protect their interests.

This is what a new publication by Octuvre, the portal run by Albano Dante-Fachín that uncovered the DGAIA case, suggests. A few days ago, they warned of a coordinated campaign from ERC to turn the testimonies of the former DGAIA directors into an attack against the Audit Office.

Now, they hint that ERC spread false information to the media before the testimonies, in order to manipulate the narrative in this regard.

ERC has tried to stop the case

The DGAIA case is a series of corruption scandals and irregularities surrounding the foster care service for minors under the guardianship of the Generalitat.

The Audit Office, an independent body linked to Parliament, uncovered irregularities such as fraudulent contract awards and revolving doors. The audit report refers to the years 2016-2020, when the Department of Social Affairs and the Directorate General for Children and Adolescents (DGAIA) were controlled by ERC.

Esquerra tried from the very beginning to block the appearance of those responsible before Parliament. However, the parties eventually forced the testimonies of five former directors and senior officials in the Social Rights Committee of Parliament.

It was at that point that, according to Octuvre, ERC changed their strategy and tried to boycott the testimony. In this context, the information that appeared this Monday is framed.

"Fake news" to cover up the scandal

One day before the Parliament committee, ERC reportedly summoned some journalists to their headquarters to offer "contextual information." This is revealed by the aforementioned portal, according to which the Republicans wanted to "prepare the ground" by providing false information. Specifically, they spread that DGAIA had wanted to replace the ombudswoman who investigated the agency due to a conflict of interest.

This information was published the next day in El Periódico, but it was later deleted. Dante-Fachín's outlet contacted the Audit Office to ask if this information was true, and they denied it.

Ultimately, they accuse ERC of maneuvering with dirty war tactics and "fake news" to stop the DGAIA tsunami. ERC would be using public and subsidized media, as well as the levers of Parliament, to cover up the scandal. This not only tarnishes their image due to possible corruption in DGAIA, but also because of their highly questionable methods.