Costa de Almería
El Ejido Town Hall searched in money laundering swoop
By m.p. - Oct 20, 2009 - 11:41 AM
email this article
El Ejido's location in Almería province - Wikipedia
The Mayor, Juan Enciso, is reported as one of the 20 suspects in custody
The Town Hall building in El Ejido was searched this Tuesday morning in a National Police operation which extends to Almería City, Sevilla and Madrid. It’s understood that 20 people have been taken into custody by order of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor in Almería province.
The charges include money laundering, misappropriation of public funds, bribery and influence peddling in an operation dubbed ‘Poniente’ which is reported by EFE to centre on the municipal services company, El Sur, in El Ejido, and on the Town Hall itself. The offices of 12 companies believed to be connected to El Sur were searched, as were the homes of those now in custody.
None of the suspects’ names have been officially released to the press as yet, but there are unconfirmed reports that the Mayor of El Ejido, Juan Enciso, is in custody. He founded the Partido de Almería after leaving the Partido Popular in 2005.
The investigation began in 2007 with court involvement coming in April this year, when the head of Instruction Court No. 2 in Almería authorised monitoring telephone conversations of the main suspects in the case. Few details have emerged, as the case remains governed by secrecy however.
EFE meanwhile notes that the municipal services company has been under scrutiny for some months in connection with the alleged illegal transfer of staff from two sub-contracting companies, which the Comisiones Obreras union believes is the reason for Tuesday’s swoop.