Junta gave minister's son €5.9 million in contracts

Chaves father and children

ANDALUCIA (Agencies) A company run by a former business partner of Ivan Chaves, the son of Manuel Chaves, 3rd VicePresident and Minister for Territorial Policy in Zapatero's government and President of the Junta de Andalucia for 19 years, received €5.9 million in conyracts over six years. Eight Junta departments contracted 19 advertising campaigns with Mediasur, whose managing director, Rafael Sánchez-Zaragoza Iribarnegaray, was a founding partner in another company, Exiden Participaciones Industriales, with Iván Chaves Iborra, the minister's son. The current president of the advertising agency, Asensio Vicente Molina Ortiz, was also a partner in Iván Chaves's company.

Chaves Jr says he 'has nothing to hide', given that the business connections are 'very clear and transparent'.

"If I had to justify every business connection of mine or others with the Junta, I'd go mad," said the Minister's son, who added he would not be making any more comments.

A report for €28,000

The departments of Tourism, Commerce and Sport; Health and Welfare; the Environment; Economy and Treasury; Presidency; Agriculture, and Innovation, Science and Business contracted a total of €5.9million, of which the bulk went to Presidency and Economy.

However, there is also an example of payments made to Chaves Iborra for a report on olive oil to the tune of €28,000 for an international company based in Sevilla called Bogaris Agriculture SLU in 2009. The report was ostensibly for informing investors via Bogaris, with the backing of the Junta. (See the bill here)

This kind of billing is and has been rampant throughout the country for more or less amounts.