On Thursday, April 10th, the Alicante Provincial Court will preside over the trial of Carmen Gómez (PP), who served as the Councillor for Contracting, Parks, and Gardens of the Torrevieja City Council in 2015. She is subject to an 11-year disqualification for misconduct in the construction of a park.

Gómez is being accused of irregularities in the awarding of services related to the Employment Workshop. The director of the workshop during that period will also be tried, and he is facing an additional 11 years of disqualification.

The Prosecutor’s Office maintains that the defendants failed to follow the legally established procedures regarding free competition and publicity in 2015. This was achieved by dividing the price and splitting the scope of the services in 2015, which resulted in a direct award of €118,000 in construction materials for the park’s construction.

In 2022, the former councilwoman resigned after being investigated during a press conference with the mayor, Eduardo Dolón, during which she defended her innocence. The trial will continue on April 29th and May 8th.

In 2023, the Eleventh Section of the Alicante Provincial Court sentenced África Celdrán (PSOE), a former Torrevieja City Councillor for Festivals, to three and a half years of special disqualification from public employment or office for misconduct, for irregularities performed in 2015.

The Court proclaimed the judgement final after the parties expressed their decision not to appeal, having been issued as a result of a plea agreement reached by the prosecution and the defendant’s defence.

The court ruling established the fact that the former Torrevieja City Councillor for Festivities executed a contract with a publishing house on August 13th, 2015, for the publication of the programmes for the Fiestas de la Purísima and the May Fair, despite not having the authority to do so.

The Court stated that the defendant failed to adhere to “the regulations governing the procurement of services by public administrations, as outlined in the Public Sector Contracts Law,” in this case.

In February 2017, África Cerdán resigned from her role as a councillor on the Torrevieja City Council after discovering that the Prosecutor’s Office was pursuing an 11-year suspension for these actions. She declared in a statement that she reached this conclusion “following the commencement of oral proceedings against me.”

With the advent of digitalisation, home fraud has not eradicated. Despite the fact that online schemes generate headlines and arouse apprehension, certain criminals persist in employing conventional methods to defraud citizens, occasionally integrating these traditional methods with more contemporary ones. In this regard, there has been recent discussion regarding a form of fraud that entails an everyday object, such as a plain orange envelope. This scam entails the insertion of letters that are visually appealing into the receptacles of individuals.

The envelopes either lack a return address or appear to be from official agencies, banks, or well-known corporations. The victims’ attention is captured through the use of phrases such as “urgent notice” or “last chance” and bright colours. The objective remains consistent: to elicit an immediate and emotional response.

An envelope may contain a letter containing instructions that, if followed, could compromise confidential information or access to bank accounts. In certain instances, a phone number that refers to premium-rate services or links to fraudulent websites via QR codes are included. In this type of fraud, psychological pressure is a critical factor: the language employed is designed to instill fear or urgency, particularly in elderly individuals.

How to identify and respond to a suspicious letter

The messages frequently include legal or administrative terms, such as “embargo,” “fine,” or “cancellation of services,” which are designed to duplicate official notifications. Under no circumstances should the instructions in the letter be implemented. The primary suggestion is to refrain from making calls to the number provided, refrain from scanning any QR codes, and consistently confirm the authenticity of the message with the purported sender through official channels.

If the fraud is verified, the most effective course of action is to destroy the letter and, if uncertain, notify the authorities. The most effective defence against this type of scam is prevention, as it exploits the normal appearance of traditional correspondence to infiltrate residences without eliciting immediate suspicion.

A 41-year-old Slovak male who was the subject of a European arrest warrant issued by his country of origin has been apprehended by Guardia Civil officers. He was a fugitive from Slovak justice and was apprehended during a police operation.

The detention occurred on March 29th as part of a preventative operation that was implemented in one of the municipality’s busiest leisure areas. The objective was to regulate the entry of individuals and vehicles into the port area, which is a frequent gathering spot on weekends.

Officers identified a vehicle whose operator endeavoured to circumvent police control during the operation. Officers intercepted the vehicle, which was transporting two individuals, in response to this suspicious conduct.

Officers encountered that one of the passengers was being pursued by Slovak authorities upon identifying the occupants. The individual, who had been residing in Spain since mid-2024, was promptly apprehended.

The detainee was subsequently brought before Central Investigative Court No. 2 of the National Court, which ordered his remand in detention pending his extradition to Slovakia.