Controversy Surrounds Spanish Government's Vehicle Deal with Morocco

Spanish Government's Procurement of Special Vehicles for Morocco

The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation has come under scrutiny for its recent procurement of special vehicles, which were then transferred to Morocco through a public foundation. This deal involved a company linked to Francisco Pardo Piqueras, the current director of the National Police. As reported by eldebate.com, the government awarded four contracts to this company totaling €6.6 million, ostensibly under the guise of border cooperation with Rabat. However, investigations reveal that the equipment procured is being utilized by Morocco for military purposes.

These contracts were granted to Technology and Security Developments SL, commonly referred to as TSD, a firm that has long been associated with the Tecnove business group. Pardo Piqueras, who currently oversees the National Police under Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, served as the vice president of the corporate structure of these companies from March 2012 to June 2018. Concurrently, he held the position of authorized representative from July 22, 2015, to August 6, 2018. Documentation reviewed indicates that TSD’s affiliation with Tecnove continued until February 9, 2017, encompassing both Tecnove SL and Tecnove Fiberglass SL.

Financial Implications and Historical Context

The corporate framework surrounding Tecnove has additional connections, notably involving Socialist politician José Bono. A significant stake in Tecnove Fiberglass SL is held by Cabrimo SL, which controls 72% of Tecnove SL. Cabrimo SL is registered at an office located on Joaquín Bau Street in Madrid, the same address where Joasa 2012 SL was headquartered until February 13, 2023, with Bono serving as its sole administrator.

The largest of the four contracts awarded to TSD is for 18 4x4 trucks, described in the tender as "equipped for troop transportation," valued at €2,209,254.30 and awarded on November 25, 2020. This is followed by a contract for 10 water tank trucks worth €1,950,939.45, formalized on October 7, 2019. The company was selected as the sole bidder meeting the requirements. The third contract involves 8 gasoline tank trucks for €1,569,949.63, awarded on the same date with similar justification. The most recent contract, dated February 22, 2024, concerns the purchase of 5 refrigerated trucks for €896,017.10.

The total of €6.6 million received by TSD from these contracts is part of a much larger sum. Reports indicate that the total allocation from the International Foundation for Ibero-American Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), which was renamed FIAP in March 2025, to Morocco since Sánchez became president amounts to €45.1 million. This funding includes a range of materials, such as 399 all-terrain vehicles, 41 trucks, and 669 thermal and night vision systems, all categorized under "support for integrated border management and migration in Morocco."

Notably, this is not the first instance where a company associated with the director of the National Police has received state contracts. On July 2, 2022, ADIF awarded Tecnove a €23.9 million contract for the supply of eight 50-ton tow trucks intended for railway repairs. Furthermore, shortly after leaving Tecnove, Pardo Piqueras, in his capacity as a senior official at the Ministry of the Interior, awarded a €164,000 contract to his former company for constructing a trailer for the police vehicle fleet.

It is also worth mentioning that the president of Tecnove, Eusebio Ramírez González-Ortega, was convicted of bribery on April 19, 2018, by the Central Military Court. This conviction followed a lengthy investigation that uncovered a network of businessmen engaged in bribing officials within the Ministry of Defense, who held influential positions in contract award decisions. The court found that Ramírez had gifted an expensive Hublot watch to a lieutenant colonel in a bid to influence a contract award decision, a claim that was ultimately deemed unconvincing by the court, which upheld the conviction in a ruling by the Supreme Court on May 28, 2019. At the time of the bribery, Pardo Piqueras was already in a senior position at the company.