José Antonio Mena (PP) appears before the Marbella court for alleged abuse of power and embezzlement in the use of 36,000 square metres of municipal land by the hotel.
The Mayor of Benahavís, José Antonio Mena (PP), has declared this Thursday as an investigated party before the head of the Instruction Section of the Marbella Court of First Instance number 1. The appearance is part of the process opened regarding the operation of the equestrian centre of Marbella Club on municipal land, as reported by Diario Sur.
The investigation is progressing following a complaint filed by the PSOE, which claims that the facilities are located on a plot of approximately 36,000 square metres in the Caserías del Esperonal area. According to the socialists, the hotel establishment has been using and exploiting that land for over two decades without any financial compensation and without a contract or agreement justifying it.
Alongside the mayor, the president of the company managing the hotel, Marbella Club Hotel SA, as well as the secretary, the auditor, and the treasurer of the Benahavís City Council have also given statements. The councillor and spokesperson for the PSOE in the municipality, Luis Feito, has also testified, confirming his complaint. Sources close to the case have indicated that the head of Urban Planning and the person responsible for the legal services in that area were expected to appear, but ultimately did not and will need to be summoned again.
The summonses come after the Marbella Area Prosecutor's Office requested in March that the court investigate the mayor for the alleged crimes of abuse of power and embezzlement, following the PSOE's complaint and the analysis of the documentation provided.
The mayor has declined to make comments regarding his statement in court. For the PSOE, the plot is listed as municipal in the Cadastre and in the Property Registry, and the exploitation occurs, according to their complaint, "without any record of an administrative concession, enabling authorization, or any financial compensation in favour of the City Council, as well as the establishment and operation of facilities of the aforementioned hotel (the equestrian centre), lacking the necessary administrative licenses".
The socialists add that the City Council has not initiated an administrative file to recover the plot and that the mayor himself has acknowledged this situation in responses during full council meetings. The equestrian centre, according to the hotel's website, offers horse rentals, organized rides, private animal boxes, and training for high competition, with 36 stables, horse boxes, and a 4,500 square metre riding arena.
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