Former Andalusian Health deputy counselor Miguel Ángel Guzmán announced in a brief statement on Thursday afternoon that he is postponing his hiring by the insurer Asisa until the report being prepared by the Andalusian Regional Government on his possible incompatibility with his new position in a private company is known. This comes less than three months after leaving the administration. The news of his move to the private sector has caused a political earthquake in the community, with requests for investigation to the Andalusian Office against Fraud and Corruption filed by Adelante Andalucía and Por Andalucía, and now by the consumer organization Facua. In his statement, Guzmán says that it is most prudent to postpone his decision to join any work activity until the legal department of the Ministry of Justice completes its report.
Guzmán had signed his contract earlier in the week and was scheduled to start his new position as medical director in Andalucía for Asisa next Monday, according to sources close to him. Following suggestions from the Andalusian government in recent days, Guzmán has decided to postpone his decision. The government had indicated that it would be best for him to resign from his position due to the controversy and reputational damage caused to the insurer. Guzmán’s circle stated on Thursday that he would not make any decision until the Junta’s report is released.
The Andalusian government stated that it was unaware of the former deputy counselor’s move to the private sector and had not received any request for a compatibility declaration from him, which Guzmán’s circle confirms. However, Guzmán did consult a lawyer and some technical staff at the Junta, albeit on a personal basis and not officially. The law on incompatibilities for high-ranking officials in the Andalusian administration does not require this step to take a position in the private sector after leaving politics, but it does establish certain incompatibilities with working in private companies linked to the regional government and, in some cases, a two-year period before returning to the workforce.
In response to the controversy and corruption allegations from the opposition, the Junta announced that it would conduct an investigation to determine if the former deputy counselor’s hiring violated the law on incompatibilities. Contracts signed by Guzmán since joining the Andalusian government in 2019 as Managing Director of the Andalusian Health Service (SAS) and later as the number two in the Health Department are being analyzed. Guzmán maintains that there is no incompatibility because the HLA group has no connection to the insurer, where he will be working, and Asisa has never signed any contracts with the Junta. His role as medical director, according to his circle, involves advising on the value of policies purchased with third parties and the medical teams of the group, with no implication of a relationship with the public administration.
The Andalusian government is now examining this situation. They are not happy not so much with Guzmán’s decision to move to the private sector – as they believe the spirit of the law is not to penalize someone who transitions from politics to a job in the private sector, as reiterated by the government spokesperson and the Minister of Justice in recent days – but rather that Guzmán did not wait longer after leaving his public position.
