SPAIN:A NEW case of municipal corruption has hit Spain, this time on the Costa del Sol where a mayor, five town councillors and 18 officials and businessmen have been detained in the resort town of Estepona.
They are accused of a long list of crimes, including bribery, misappropriation of municipal funds and zoning offences.
The case is similar to a massive anti-corruption operation in the adjoining resort of Marbella two years ago. In that case the then mayor and his corporation bankrupted the town when they used the millionaires' resort to fund their own high-spending lifestyle. Mayor Jesus Gil has since died, but many of the other accused are still behind bars.
Neighbours say the operation began around 3am on Tuesday when the luxurious home of the mayor Antonio Barrientos was surrounded by dozens of policemen.
"Many of them had their faces hidden with balaclavas. They were there for more than 12 hours and came out carrying boxes of files and computers and bundled the mayor into a car," said Tipperary-born Tom Marr, owner of the la Taberna bar in the centre of the town.
"Another group of police officers went to the town hall and appeared to take away everyone as they came in to work in the morning."
The operation continued throughout Tuesday and all day yesterday. At least a dozen offices, some as far away as the capital Madrid and Bilbao, were raided.
At least two law firms are reported to have been searched and dozens of files removed.
Even as the sixth highest paid mayor in Spain, locals say Dr Barrientos, who paid himself a salary of almost €100,000, appeared to enjoy a lifestyle way beyond his income. "He loved the high life, having his photographs taken with VIPs and going to their parties," said Mr Marr.
Other detainees have not been officially named, although several are known to be local officials, developers and builders. Some include those whose names came into the limelight at the time of the Marbella scandal. The examining magistrate is interrogating the detainees and has so far granted bail to four, who will be freed once they raise sums ranging from €30,000 to €500,000.
There was no great surprise when the news broke. On learning of the arrests, one local journalist, who preferred not to be named, remarked: "So they've got the bastard at last. I wonder why it took them so long."