Former PNV Official Secures Millions in Public Contracts After Moving to Private Sector

• Former Bizkaia Provincial Council official Ibon Oñate has secured 26.6 million euros in contracts for his private companies from the very public entities he previously managed.
• Oñate left his role as a high-ranking PNV official in June 2023 and almost immediately assumed control of private technology firms that continue to receive major public funding from the Bizkaia government.

Contracting Patterns and Conflicts of Interest

• Oñate’s firms, including Jamenet and the Global Datum holding group, have consistently won lucrative contracts from public entities like Zugaztel, Lantik, and Biscaytik.
• These entities specialize in digital transformation and municipal management, sectors Oñate oversaw while in office.
• Even after Oñate’s departure, contracts were often awarded to his companies with no competing bids or through processes favoring his firms over others, leading to formal complaints before the Contractual Resources Tribunal.

The 'Zornotza Clan' Network

• Investigations suggest a deep-seated patronage network within the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), known as the "Zornotza Clan."
• The network involves key political figures, including current Bizkaia finance officials and regional government secretaries, whose family and political ties facilitate the flow of public contracts to affiliated private companies.
• Notable figures linked to this group include current directors of public entities like Alaitz Etxeandia and Iñaki Totorikaguena, both of whom have previous records involving administrative or legal controversies.

Institutional Implications

• The model of "public-private collaboration" promoted by Oñate while in office is criticized as a cover for cronyism and political party financing.
• Companies like Teknei, owned by PNV figures, have also been involved in consortiums alongside Oñate’s firms, further centralizing control over multi-million euro public service contracts.
• Critics argue that the current legal framework, which mandates a cooling-off period, is insufficient to prevent institutional capture when public entities remain under the influence of the same political apparatus that Oñate helped cultivate.