Barcelona City Council

December-2019

The purpose of these actions has been to examine the possible treatment of favor and use or irregular destination of public funds by the Barcelona City Council in the allocation of public resources for the celebration (2014-2015) of the Barcelona World Race regatta, through a direct subsidy to the Foundation for Ocean Navigation of Barcelona (considered as a public entity attached to the same Barcelona City Council); in the same year 2014, the acquisition by the council to this same foundation of exploitation rights acquired on a state-owned public facility, and the direct subsidy granted to the aforementioned foundation by the Municipal Institute of Education of Barcelona for the execution of training programs, which involves a total amount to be received by this foundation, through the three routes described, more than 3 million euros. In relation to the grants awarded, weakness has been detected in the justification of the direct allocation of the grants, without publicity and concurrence, and deficiencies in the justification of the amounts paid. Finally, a possible conflict of interest and favorable treatment in relation to the person who simultaneously exercised managerial functions in two municipal public institutions linked to the promotion of navigation and the values ​​associated with the sea is examined.