Article in Diario Sur

The trickle of mayors convicted and charged for alleged planning crimes in the Axarquia is causing growing concern to the major political parties, PSOE and PP,.

This is due to the granting of planning permission for residential housing on land deemed not “rustic”. In the past three years, six have been conviceted in Malaga courts, including three against former mayors (Salares, Arenas and Competa) and three against elected representatives here (Canillas de Albaida, Canillas de Aceituno and The Viñuela). The six sentences totaling 54 years of prohibition.

Some of these mayors are also awaiting other proceedings that have not yet been resolved, such as the mayor of Canillas de Aceituno, Jose Manuel Aranda, sentenced by the High Court to nine-year mayoral disqualification after he was acquitted. Moreover, at least six other mayors and former mayors and an undetermined number of Councillors and former Councillors are being investigated or are involved in various legal proceedings, also unresolved, for alleged crimes related to the execution of urban housing in the countryside.

There is the case of the former mayor of Sayalonga, José Luis Navas, who resigned as mayor of the municipality after being convicted by a court, but the court later revised the sentence and decided to acquit. The same happened with the mayor of Riogordo, Francisco Alarcon, the prosecution asked for an eight-year ban and a fine of 5,400 euros for an alleged case of urban corruption urban. In the same situation are;

  • the mayor of Colmenar, Pedro Fernandez,
  • the former mayor and current spokesman for the PSOE of Torrox, Francisco Muñoz, for the approval of five projects,
  • the former mayor of Alcaucín, José Manuel Marín Alba, charged with crimes of bribery, money laundering, transgression, trespass and false urban.

Concern

The situation is of concern not only the council members and mayors, but also the PSOE and PP leaders, as they believe they are paying a high price. “They are good Mayors who may not repeat because they have been condemned to prohibition,” says the provincial secretary of the PP, Francisco Salado.  “These people should be treated the same was as those in  Marbella where the dwellings were legalised. In the end they are always the ones who are paying the price, when the Junta de Andalucía has been looking the other way,” says Salado, whose party is having trouble completing the lists and have candidates in some towns such as Salares due to what happened to the former Mayor.

Although nobody from the PSOE  wants to talk openly about what is happening with the planning in the Axarquia, the concern is palpable in the air, since what is at stake is the government of the Diputación de Málaga.

SENTENCES

  • Competa. Leovigildo Pérez (former mayor of the Partido Popular), seven years and 12 months disqualification.
  • Arenas. Victoriano Garcia (former ruler of IU), eight-year prohibition. The same sentence for the former mayor José Antonio Alcoba Planning (PP).
  • Salares. Jorge Luis Fernandez, (former mayor PP), a year in jail and eight of disqualification.
  • La Viñuela. John Miller, Mayor (PSOE), fifteen years’ disqualification and fine.
  • Canillas de Aceituno. José Manuel Aranda, Mayor (PSOE), nine years and 12 months disqualification. Several procedures are pending, some of which also affect the councilors who supported licenses
  • Canillas de Albaida. Antonio Gregorio Díaz (PP), seven years disqualification.

Pending legal proceedings.

  • Against the former mayor and seven aldermen Sayalonga,
  • against the former mayor of Torrox and nine councilors,
  • against the mayor of Colmenar,
  • against the mayor of Riogordo
  • against the former mayor of Alcaucín and
  • against former mayor and his team in Benamocarra , among others.