Ignacio Garriga, the general secretary and vice president of Vox, receives a monthly bonus of 3,700 euros from the ultra parliamentary group in the Catalan Parliament, according to the accounts for 2023 that the party has just presented in the Catalan chamber. This bonus is separate from his annual salary of 88,973.60 euros as a regional deputy, along with 16,032.44 euros in allowances, and the remuneration he receives as a high-ranking party member. In total, the number two of Vox receives three salaries each month, two funded by public funds and a third, from the party, which is semi-public, as more than 80% of its funding comes from the State. Despite this, Garriga has not declared the bonus paid by his parliamentary group in the official declaration of activities and public positions submitted to the Parliament.
The suspicions regarding Garriga’s undisclosed bonus had been raised based on the accounts of his group for 2021 and 2022. After former Vox MP Isabel Lázaro denounced improper payments to Garriga to the Antifraud Office of Catalonia, the Parliament requested explanations from Vox regarding invoices paid to Garriga totaling 38,496.59 euros over two years, as well as other payments for expenses such as the school’s PTA fees, hairdressing, dry cleaning, and groceries. Garriga claimed to be the victim of a “fake news campaign” and admitted to only minor errors in his group’s accounts, which he said had been rectified and returned.
In response to the irregularities discovered in Vox’s accounting by the Auditor of Accounts, the Catalan Parliament’s Board agreed to enhance the control measures for parliamentary group accounts. The accounts for 2023 of Vox, presented after the scandal broke out, do not clearly indicate irregular payments, with very generic items such as travel expenses, maintenance, and other expenses. However, the payment of additional salaries to the main group leaders is evident, including the case of Ignacio Garriga and the group’s spokesman, Joan Garriga Doménech.
The total compensation received by Garriga remains unclear, as he also acknowledges receiving a salary as the party’s general secretary on top of his parliamentary and group bonus payments. The official accounts of Vox for 2023 state that the budget for the national party leadership amounts to 646,522 euros, an increase of 25% over the previous year. However, the breakdown of individual member payments is not specified, a lack of information that has been criticized by the Court of Auditors. Additionally, the parliamentary group of Vox received a public subsidy of 971,493.24 euros in 2023, a decrease from 2022 due to the loss of a member, leading to significant cost-cutting measures and a shift from deficit to savings.
A third of the parliamentary group’s subsidy is allocated to external services, with a similar amount going to the party’s national leadership in Madrid. This includes funding for services such as financial and legal advice, strategic consulting, political positioning, and communication strategies. Despite being part of the national party apparatus that receives payments for services from regional groups, Garriga continues to receive personal compensation as an external service provider. The situation raises questions regarding potential conflicts of interest and the transparency of financial operations within the party and its various branches across Spain.
