Grande-Marlaska personally takes responsibility for “specific errors” in the contract for the purchase of Israeli ammunition

Eduardo González The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has personally taken responsibility for the "specific errors and mismatches" committed by his Department in the management of the contract for the purchase of ammunition from an Israeli company, an issue that nearly caused a serious schism in the coalition government and was resolved with the decision by the President of the Government Pedro Sánchez to unilaterally terminate the contract. During his appearance before Congress to explain this matter at the request of the Mixed Group, ERC, and EH Bildu, the minister stated this Wednesday that on October 29, 2024, he ordered "the immediate suspension of the processing of the file and the best way to terminate it" to be studied. Once that decision was made, he continued, the Ministry explored "all possible legal avenues to annul the award," but for six months found none that would prevent "financial damage to the State." Therefore, he stated, the department consulted the State Attorney General's Office, which "recommended formalizing the contract." However, the Government, with the collaboration of "bodies outside the Ministry" and with the involvement of other ministerial departments, has finally been able to "articulate a mechanism for termination," he added, without further details. “I am aware that this contract has created a problem, but also that, aside from specific errors and mismatches that I do not mind acknowledging or personally taking responsibility for, we have been able to resolve it with the involvement of the entire government, in a coordinated and effective manner,” stated Fernando Grande-Marlaska, who denied that this issue has created a crisis in the coalition government. “We are working together to resolve the problems,” he asserted. “We are very clear about our firm commitment not to contract weapons with Israeli companies, and I guarantee that we will respect this commitment,” he insisted. The Minister of the Interior also assured that the equipment and ammunition for the National Police and Civil Guard “are guaranteed,” and therefore asked the parliamentary groups to wait for the administrative procedures to be completed “before talking about shortages, lack of resources, or insecurity.” PP and Sumar In her response, Sofía Acedo Reyes, of the People's Party, warned that the termination of the contract could constitute a crime of "administrative malfeasance" and lamented that the government's decision "will render the Civil Guard's weapons unusable." "Why are you punishing the Civil Guard again?" she asked. For his part, Enrique Santiago, of Sumar (and of the United Left party, which once proposed Sumar's departure from the government for this reason), stated that "there are plenty of ethical, political, and legal arguments to annul any contract that finances genocide" and accused "the right and the extreme right" of "using the Civil Guard to justify genocide." The crisis The controversy erupted on April 23, after it was revealed that the Headquarters of Economic Affairs of the Civil Guard had decided to fulfill a contract worth more than six million euros for the purchase of fifteen million bullets from the Israeli company Guardian Defense & Homeland Security S.A., a subsidiary of the international group Guardian LTD Israel. On October 29, 2024, the Ministry of the Interior decided to terminate the contract with the Israeli company, as part of the government's commitment to "not buy or sell weapons to the Israeli state since the outbreak of the armed conflict in Gaza." However, it ultimately decided to heed a recommendation from the State Attorney's Office advising against termination because the state would have been forced to pay the full €6.6 million without receiving the contracted material. The contract was finalized during Holy Week, specifically on April 16. After the news broke, Sumar (a minority partner in the coalition government) expressed its total opposition to the transaction, which represents "a flagrant violation of the commitments made within the government to suspend arms purchases from Israel, as well as international arms trade treaties." It demanded "the immediate cancellation of the contract" and "the appearance" of Grande-Marlaska in Congress to provide "all the necessary explanations regarding this acquisition." Finally, the government decided to unilaterally terminate the contract on April 24, following an agreement between the Presidency and the ministries involved in the transaction. Consequently, the Dual-Use Material Investment Board will deny the Israeli company permission to import the material for reasons of public interest, and the Ministry of the Interior will proceed to terminate the contract. The State Attorney's Office and the relevant ministries are already studying possible legal reactions and claims. After learning of this decision, a spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Spanish government "is sacrificing security considerations for political ends and continues to place itself on the wrong side of history against the Jewish State, which is defending itself against terrorist attacks on seven fronts." The government's decision was also harshly criticized by the president of the People’s Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who stated that "when a state signs a contract with another state, it must be honored, especially if we are talking about two democratic states like Spain and Israel."

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