The Municipal Group of IU in Carratraca has filed a complaint with the courts in Antequera against the local PP government for embezzlement, administrative malpractice, and document falsification after paying 8,000 euros for an irrigation installation that was never executed.
The Municipal Group of Izquierda Unida in the Carratraca Town Hall has taken the Popular Party government team to court over an alleged diversion of public funds. The complaint, filed this Wednesday in the Antequera Courts, directly points to the mayor, María Fernández Espejo, for authorising the payment of 8,000 euros for a drip irrigation installation that, according to the complainants, was never carried out.
A paid invoice, a non-existent project
According to the documentation provided by IU, the Town Hall paid the invoice on April 16, after the mayor herself certified on March 13 that the service had been provided as contracted. However, IU councillors assert that the drip irrigation work had not been carried out at that time, and that the project is only now being executed, after the payment.
“What is happening in the Carratraca Town Hall is very serious,” stated IU spokesperson Juan José Florido, who has requested an extraordinary plenary session to clarify the facts. Florido announced that he would expand the complaint with more documentation when the Justice system summons them to testify.
“And this is just the beginning, because we are seeing more actions that we believe are questionable, and we will not stop until justice determines what has happened to those 8,000 euros,” declared Florido.
The provincial coordinator of IU in Málaga, Toni Morillas, accompanied Florido in presenting the complaint and described the case as “the tip of the iceberg of an alleged textbook corruption case.” Morillas emphasised that the residents of Carratraca are waiting for explanations from the government team.
Demands for transparency and resignation
IU demands the immediate resignation of the local PP government due to “the seriousness of the facts and the manner of acting, which is to lie, hide, and cheat.” The party believes that municipal management must be transparent and compliant with the law, and that this case demonstrates fraudulent use of public money.
Morillas has indicated that they are gathering more information to request the Prosecutor's Office to initiate an independent investigation. “The municipality of Carratraca does not deserve bad rulers who misuse public money,” she concluded.
The complaint includes charges of embezzlement of public funds, administrative malpractice, and falsification of public documents. IU has presented contradictory versions of municipal documents that, according to them, prove the irregular payment.
A small town, a big case
Carratraca, a municipality of just over 700 inhabitants in the Guadalteba region, now faces a scandal that has generated discontent among its residents. The local opposition has promised not to relent in its efforts to scrutinise the Executive. “We will continue until the end,” warned Florido.
So far, the PP government team has not publicly commented on the complaint. Mayor María Fernández Espejo will have to provide explanations if the extraordinary plenary session requested by IU goes ahead. In the meantime, the Antequera courts will have to decide whether to admit the case for processing.
