The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office has taken over the inquiry into the allocation of subsidised housing in Alicante. The Special Prosecutor’s Office against Corruption and Organised Crime has assigned two prosecutors to the province, Pablo Romero and Fran Marco, who are currently reviewing four complaints filed with the Prosecutor’s Office regarding alleged irregularities: those filed by the Alicante City Council, the Regional Ministry of Housing, the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party), and the Sumar political party.
The Alicante City Council’s complaint states that the Heritage Management Service was notified that municipal staff who may have been involved in the contract’s management were directly or indirectly awarded a protected dwelling unit in the Les Naus residential complex.
This is according to a report from the Heritage Department, which notified Mayor Luis Barcala’s administration after reviewing the list of beneficiaries for the 140 residences in La Condomina. Among them are the resigned Councillor for Urban Planning, Rocío Gómez, two children and a nephew of the also now former Director General of Internal Organization, Public Procurement and Funds Management, María Pérez-Hickman, and Francisco Nieto, an architect in the Urban Planning Department.
Pending expansion
The Housing Department’s complaint is directed at the alleged irregularities committed by one of its technicians in charge of approving purchase contracts, who, according to the document presented to the Prosecutor’s Office, validated false data on the family unit’s income so that his wife, also a municipal architect, could receive one of the houses.
The complaint is pending expansion when the regional ministry, led by Susana Camarero, evaluated further files in which important paperwork concerning the applicants’ spouses is lacking, despite the fact that they claim to be in a separation of assets to avoid combining their income.
Five crimes
The Socialists perceive evidence of wrongdoing, banned negotiations by public officials, fraud against the administration, swindling, and law-breaking in the subsidised housing affair. The Socialists’ complaint targets several individuals, including the former Councillor for Urban Planning, the former Director General of Internal Organization, the municipal architect, Francisco Nieto Torres, the sole administrator of the development management company, Francisco Ordiñana Gilbert, and members of the Alicante City Council’s Local Governing Board.
Ana Barceló, the PSOE’s municipal spokesperson, remarked following her presentation that “Barcala’s government may have violated the right to housing, which must serve the public interest.” As a result, we have requested that the Public Prosecutor’s Office investigate what occurred regarding the allotment of apartments built on a municipal site.”
In this regard, he stated that there are over 5,400 families on the waiting list for public housing in Alicante, and that an increasing number of families are being forced to leave the city due to their inability to rent or purchase a home.
Meanwhile, Sumar submitted another online complaint with the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Corruption and Organised Crime, reporting facts that could be considered crimes against the public administration. The party urged that investigations be conducted to see whether the procedure followed legal requirements and the values of equality, objectivity, transparency, and impartiality.
The far-right union
A fifth one has been added to the list, submitted directly before the Alicante courts yesterday, Thursday afternoon, February 5th, by the far-right union Manos Limpias for alleged offences against the public administration.
This recent document, which is only three pages long, could suggest that the cases currently at the Prosecutor’s Office must be forwarded to the court that accepted them for further inquiry, if that occurs. In that instance, the same anti-corruption prosecutors would represent the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Related news
The complaint lists ten people for alleged crimes such as business document fabrication, influence peddling, administrative misconduct, and public authorities engaging in forbidden discussions. In addition to those associated with the City Council, the complaint includes officials of the Les Naus cooperative’s management firm, its officers, and the notary who signed the contracts for the contentious development, among others.
Author: Derek Appleton
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