The Mayor of Zurgena and 4 others have been arrested over urban development irregularities.
Yesterday the Civil Guard commenced a major operation named; Operación Costurero (Operation Sewing Box) in the Almanzora Valley area. They carried out searches in the Zurgena Town Hall, and various other offices of architects and land developers in both Zurgena and Albox.
Within the first couple of hours of the operation the Civil Guard arrested the Mayor of Zurgena, Cándido Trabalón (Partido Andalucista party), Manuel Tijeras, a Zurgena councillor, an architect, a draughtsmen and a developer Antonio López Ramos, better known as "Antonio el de la Jacinta".
Sources say the 5 have been arrested on corruption charges after Judge Pilar Alfonso ordered an investigation in 2006 after receiving a submission from the public prosecutor for the Environment and Town Planning.
Throughout the day around 15 agents from the Civil Guard's "Grupo de Delitos Urbanísticos", a special unit set up to fight town planning irregularities and corruption, searched private homes and the offices of developers in the region. Around midday they were seen taking documents from the building developers offices of Grupo Dizu and later in the afternoon the same occurred when documents were taken from the office of Procosona in Albox.
Apparently the Judicial Authority has decreed that further details of the investigation should remain secret.
It is likely that Operation Costurero is linked to permissions granted to 4 developers for the construction of homes on land classified as "rústico" in the districts of La Alfoquía, Los Llanos de Peral and Cucador, Los Menchones, Las Golondrinas and los Carasoles. These six developments were denounced over two years ago by the Civil Guards' SEPRONA (Servicio de Protección de la Naturaleza) unit.
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Article First Published: Thursday, 3rd April 2008, 10:58 CET
Last Updated: Thursday, 3rd April 2008, 14:07 CET
Author: Albox News Rover
