FOUR witnesses have been called to testify against Estepona’s mayor amid allegations that he gave a lavish restaurant concession to his son’s wife.
The town’s mayor, Jose Maria Garcia Urbano, is being investigated alongside five others for handing over a municipal building restaurant license to a company linked to his son, according to those close to the investigation.
These individuals are being investigated for crimes of perversion of justice and traffic of influence, states the complaint filed by the Fiscalia Anticorrupcion de Malaga.
These accusations are in relation to irregularities on the authorisation of the opening of a restoration business as allegedly the requirements demanded by current regulations were omitted.
Three floors of the Mirador tower were awarded to a company whose ‘sole partner and administrator was the mayor’s son’s girlfriend,’ says the complaint.
Social alarm among locals, who were concerned that the space was handed over purely due to links to the mayor of the town, sparked the investigation which is being conducted by Grupo 1 de Blanqueo de la Brigada Provincial de Policia Judicial (UDEF-UDEV).
The successful company, which is associated with the mayor’s relatives, was one of two that participated in the bidding process.
Estepona city council, however, insists that there was ‘no illegality or crime on the part of the mayor, the auditor, the secretary, or the municipal technicians who carried out the bidding and subsequent public award’.
Despite this, those under investigation are set to testify on January 30 at 10am.
Those testifying will be the mayor, president of the board, municipal secretary, auditor of the city council and two municipal technicians.
Summoned back in 2023, the truth is finally set to be revealed with Estepona officials insisting that ‘there is absolute peace of mind on the part of the mayor, the Corporation, and the municipal officials.
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