Overview
- Current and former SAS leaders Valle García, Miguel Ángel Guzmán and Diego Vargas testified as investigados before Judge José Antonio Gómez over emergency agreements with private providers totaling €242 million.
- The three acknowledged disregarding a 2021 Finance Ministry instruction to restore ordinary procurement, arguing they acted under urgent healthcare needs during prolonged pandemic pressure.
- Diego Vargas described the period’s strain in court, invoking daily mortality data to justify maintaining direct awards when services were deemed immediately necessary.
- A disputed shift from prior fiscal checks to permanent a posteriori control surfaced, with vice minister Amelia Martínez citing a verbal request and Guzmán denying the change originated within the SAS.
- García defended 2024 addenda to a 2020 Cedico contract as paperwork to pay for services already rendered, while SAS auditors ratified critical reports yet reported no risk to public funds, narrowing the case toward alleged administrative prevarication.