CNIO scientists help the brand new supervisor accused of alleged harassment and denounce a smear marketing campaign | Science | EUROtoday

Scientific leaders of the National Cancer Research Center have signed a manifesto through which they defend their present supervisor, José Manuel Bernabé, and denounce that he’s being the sufferer of a technique to overthrow him and forestall him from persevering with to gather proof of the alleged corruption within the heart, which is being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.

The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities has introduced that tomorrow it should request the dismissal of Bernabé after having realized the small print of an inside criticism filed by a former worker in opposition to him for alleged harassment. The complainant is Laura Muñoz, who was immediately fired by the board together with the deputy supervisor, José Ignacio Fernández Vera, and Juan Arroyo. The latter was the supervisor of the CNIO for a number of many years, and is the alleged ringleader of an alleged corrupt community that might have stolen round 20 million euros from the CNIO’s coffers by means of fraudulent contracts with corporations. pals. The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office started investigating the case in November 2025. Bernabé collaborated intensely in clarifying the irregularities and thus far has introduced 5 stories with alleged unlawful acts that he has already dropped at the eye of the Prosecutor’s Office.

The CNIO scientists see behind the harassment criticism a maneuver by the previous supervisor and his shut collaborators, amongst whom was Muñoz.

“We want to show our support for the work carried out by José Manuel Bernabé to achieve transparent management of the CNIO,” reads the doc, to which EL PAÍS has had entry. The new supervisor “was the first actor in helping the authorities clarify the alleged criminal activities associated with the previous management team,” continues the assertion, which is already circulating among the many company’s employees to indicate their help.

CNIO researchers denounce “that the news that has appeared in recent days is part of an orchestrated smear campaign aimed at undermining the manager’s reputation.” The signatories, nevertheless, “show their rejection of any harassment situation that may occur in the work environment.”

The researchers launch a petition to the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, led by Diana Morant: “We ask the ministry that the new management be independent of the initial team and continue working to clarify possible irregularities or corruption of the internal team. We are deeply affected by the drift of this case.”

Bernabé had arrived on the CNIO in September 2025 with a profile of most competence and seriousness after holding positions within the National Commission of Competition Markets, deputy director common of Regulations within the General Technical Secretariat of the Ministry of Health. Since his arrival on the heart, he had earned a popularity as a tough employee and was broadly supported by the middle’s scientists, who publicly supported him in an illustration through which they referred to as for closing the deep disaster on the CNIO and opening a brand new stage. The supervisor additionally had the complete belief and help of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, till this Thursday.

Laura Muñoz filed a criticism with the middle’s human sources division exactly on November 25, 2025 for an alleged escalation of non-public communications in direction of her by the supervisor, in response to Abc. That similar day, early within the morning, the CNIO board agreed to dismiss him together with that of Arroyo and Fernández Vera in mild of the investigations into alleged corruption. In his criticism, Muñoz additionally complained about Bernabé’s alleged complaints about his work begin instances. Muñoz filed this criticism for alleged harassment earlier than being fired, in response to her model, and for worry of retaliation.

Juan Arroyo was orbited by the alleged corrupt plot of contracts with corporations associated to him or individuals near him, equivalent to the corporate Gedosol, one of many CNIO’s common suppliers right now, in response to info dealt with by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office following a criticism from a former worker of the middle. Laura Muñoz was working on the CNIO from 2013 to 2025 as an worker of Gedosol, in response to CNIO sources, after which as the middle’s personal employees, the place she held a place very near Juan Arroyo.

For his half, Fernández Vera resigned in 2017 as common director of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology for “personal reasons” after this newspaper revealed that he spent nearly 25,000 euros in two years to lease high-end vehicles with a non-public driver to go from Madrid to occasions in Salamanca, his hometown, and different locations in Spain.

This Friday morning the CNIO board of trustees will meet, whose honorary president is Diana Morant, and through which the central authorities, 4 autonomous communities on a rotating foundation and personal trustees are represented: the BBVA Foundation, the Spanish Association in opposition to Cancer and the Cris Research Foundation to Defeat Cancer.