Court convictions for corruption
THE FORMER mayoress of Redován, Leticia Bas has been banned from standing for office for seven years, reported news agencies EFE and Europa Press.
She was convicted of administrative wrongdoing alongside two ex-councillors who had also represented the Socialist party (PSOE) on the council between 2007 and 2011, José Manuel Cartagena and Encarnación Heredia.
The verdict was agreed by the defendants and prosecution at an Orihuela criminal court hearing on Friday.
It was considered proven that they had divided up municipal contracts in order to benefit the company of businessman who had also stood on their party’s list of candidates but was not elected.
The services to maintain and repair street lighting, and to install and take down lighting and electrical installations for fiestas and events, were split into contracts of less than €18,000 so that they could be awarded directly without having to be put out to public tender.
The ruling also convicts businessman Carlos Francisco Penalver, of the company Electrosola Penalver SL, of being a ‘necessary accomplice’.
It orders him and Sra Bas to compensate the town hall with €35,861 between them, Sra Cartagena with €23,000 and Sra Heredia with €4,200.
According to the judgment, the defendants ‘connived’ and ‘deliberately and radically contravened’ the principles of free access and transparency that govern public contracts.
Under the previous Partido Popular (PP) council the company had received no municipal contracts but then was paid almost €32,000 in 2008, €62,200 in 2009, €70,500 in 2010 and €21,000 in 2011. Furthermore, the contracts were not accompanied by any documents or invoices that would have enabled municipal technicians to confirm that the work had been completed correctly.