The director of the Office of Economic Affairs of the Presidency of the Government, Manuel de la Rocha, has assured that there were no differences of opinion with the Ministry of Defense regarding the permanence of Ángel Escribano as executive president of Indra.
"There were no discrepancies on the important issues, the Government had a clear position in the different ministries involved," he stated this Tuesday during his appearance before the Joint Commission (Congress-Senate) of National Security to report on the latest movements of the Escribano family in Indra.
In this regard, he detailed that the stance of the Executive as a whole "is what was reflected" in the decision-making bodies of the State Society of Industrial Participations (SEPI), "which is the one that conveys the Government's position in the company."
According to De la Rocha's explanation, all involved departments shared the idea that the conflict of interest arising from the merger between Indra and Escribano Mechanical & Engineering (EM&E) was "decisive" and that it was essential to resolve it.
Defense of the new appointments at Indra
Regarding the recent replacement of José Vicente de los Mozos as CEO of the company by Josep Maria Recasens, De la Rocha indicated that this change "falls within the normal scope of the company." "It is known that his term was coming to an end after three years and a decision had to be made to replace him," he recalled, framing the substitution within the expected timeframe.
Regarding the appointment of Ángel Simón as non-executive chairman of Indra about two months ago, the economic head of Moncloa stressed that the proposal came from the appointments committee, "with the Government's approval, and he was appointed without any votes against." "I believe that Mr. Simón is a person with a recognized and respected business career in Spain," he added, highlighting his professional profile.
Denies pressure from Iván Redondo
Finally, when asked whether Iván Redondo, head of communications for Santa Bárbara (a subsidiary of the American General Dynamics), had pressured the Government to favor Escribano's departure from Indra, De la Rocha flatly rejected that version.
"I have held meetings with the senior executives of General Dynamics and, therefore, some in which Mr. Iván Redondo has been present, to talk about the situation of the sector and his company, but I am not aware that there has been any influence, certainly not on the Government's actions, from that gentleman in relation to Indra," he assured, denying any external interference in the Executive's decisions regarding the technology company.