Ex-mayor faces jury trial for planning speculation

Former urban planning councillor and his brother will also stand trial

THE FORMER socialist mayor of Orxeta, Vicente Llinares and the then urban planning councillor, Jose Olcina, are facing trial for reclassifying land they had a personal interest in.

Olcina’s brother Vicente, who is also Llinares’ brother in law, will also stand trial for profiting from the pair’s property speculating activities.

Vicente Llinares had already been tried for turning a blind eye to a cement factory setting up and operating illegally in the municipality for ten years.

The original owners of the land resold to a property developer are taking him to court for profiteering and speculating with their property.

The jury will have to consider if there is sufficient proof that Vicente Olcina purchased the plaintiffs’ rural property in 2003 for €564,950, knowing full well the land was to be reclassified as urban property, due to information received both from his brother Jose, who was the town’s urban planning councillor and also from his brother-in-law Vicente Llinares who was the mayor.

The land in question was resold to Balcón de Florida property developers, less than a year later, for €2,614,453, more than five times its original sale price.

Family owned land sold

Also in February 2004, the mayor’s mother sold 100,000 sqm of rural land to another property developer Construcciones Valencia Constitución for €1,697,569, mayor Vicente Llinares actually figured in the cadastre as the owner of the land. The developers also received a €300,000 loan from Vicente Olcina.

In April 2004, Orxeta council approved a new urban plan that included the mayor’s mother's land. Both Llinares and Jose Olcina signed the order after a council meeting where both of them voted favourably to reclassify the rural land purchased from Llinares’ mother.

All three accused face possible sentences of up to 20 months prison and heavy fines