Allegations of attempted extortion made against the Mayor of Polop

Allegations of attempted extortion made against the Mayor of Polop
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By m.p. - Nov 25, 2009 - 2:32 PM

The funeral for Alejandro Ponsoda - EFE archive

Juan Cano was arrested this week in the connection with the murder of his predecessor, Alejandro Ponsoda

The court investigation into the murder of the Partido Popular Mayor of Polop de la Marina, Alejandro Ponsoda, remains governed by a secrecy order, but the Valencia High Court of Justice has confirmed to EFE that his successor as Mayor is to be questioned by the investigating judge on Thursday morning.

Juan Cano was arrested as the seventh suspect in the case early this Tuesday morning and has been in police cells since then. The Partido Popular took the decision on Tuesday to temporarily suspend him as a member of the party until the investigation determines the extent, if any, of his involvement in Ponsoda’s death.

Polop’s Deputy Mayor, María Dolores Zaragoza, is now officially the town’s Acting Mayor.

Cano was Ponsoda’s councillor for town planning for many years, but in information revealed by El Mundo this Wednesday, was removed from the PP’s list of candidates for the 2003 local election after allegedly trying to charge a commission of 25,000 € to a businessman. The paper said he and the former tourism councillor, Ximo Montiel, were recorded making the attempt and were both excluded from the party’s lists.

They are reported to have returned on the 2007 list of candidates at the request of Alejandro Ponsoda, when Cano, now the Deputy Mayor, returned to town planning and Montiel to tourism.

The paper notes a comment Alejandro Ponsoda once made to one of his daughters, ‘This man has become second in command to make me resign and put himself in the top spot’.

Ponsoda was shot by gunmen on 19th October 2007 as he was parking his car outside his home in Xirles. He died in hospital eight days later.

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