THE mayor of Estepona has repaid a sum of money to the town hall that matches exactly the salary his lover earned there after he gave her a job.
Jose Garcia Urbano coughed up €5,276.92 of his own money to the town hall, but denied that move was an admission of guilt as he fights a looming corruption case.
It comes just two days before a key hearing in which prosecutors and the opposition party asked for him to be formally charged with misuse of public funds.
Urbano was found to have installed his one-time lover Cristina P to a senior role at the town hall – one in which she herself admitted she never once went to work, never held a position, never had a desk or computer and was never given any duties.
Urbano called the repayment a ‘as a precaution’ to ensure that the council suffered ‘no financial loss’ from the episode, while at the same time insisting it ‘does not acknowledge’ any wrongdoing.
It should be noted that Spanish law states that anyone accused of misuse of public funds who fully returns the alleged damage before a trial begins automatically qualifies for a reduced sentence if convicted.
The opposition PSOE called the payment ‘a clear admission’ that the mayor misused public money and has called Junta president Juanma Moreno to remove him from office.
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Cristina didn’t even live in the province during the period she was supposedly employed in Estepona, according to a criminal file related to a separate scandal the mayor has been dealing with.
Astonishingly, she even found the time to have some cosmetic work done in Malaga without ever submitting medical leave to the council.
The scandal erupted after Cristina appeared as a witness in a separate sexual harassment complaint filed by her ex-husband, a local police officer.
That case was closed in January 2025, but her testimony – that she was on the council payroll while never working – triggered the current corruption investigation.
In April, a judge ruled that the case should proceed to a jury trial, noting indications that Urbano may have abused his position as mayor to benefit his lover.
Both the public prosecutor and the Socialist Party have requested formal charges be brought against the mayor and the woman.
Far-right party Vox has asked for charges only against the mayor. Garcia Urbano did not attend Thursday’s hearing after the court accepted a request from his defence team.
It’s just the latest scandal to dog the once-high flying mayor of one of the Costa del Sol’s most desirable expat towns.
Estepona regularly attracts swathes of high-paying British and northern European residents who swell the town hall’s coffers, drawn by its rapid development, beach promenade upgrades and ‘Garden of the Costa del Sol’ branding.
The court will decide in the coming weeks whether the case proceeds to a full jury trial.
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