Tarragona is set to hear the final stages of the Inipro corruption trial this autumn, with the case expected to conclude before the city’s 2027 municipal elections. The proceedings have been under investigation for more than a decade and centre on alleged irregular financing through the city’s Social Services department.
According to a recent resolution from the Provincial Court, preliminary hearings are scheduled for 18 September, with the trial due to run from 2 October to 20 November. That timetable would leave the case ready for judgment about six months before voters go to the polls on 23 May 2027.
Legal sources say the three-judge panel should, in normal circumstances, have enough time to issue a ruling before the election. Even so, they note that a decision could slip past the polls if the court has not reached a resolution by Easter.
Former Tarragona mayor Josep Fèlix Ballesteros, of the Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSC), and former municipal spokesperson Begoña Floria are among those accused. Prosecutors are seeking five years and 10 months in prison for Ballesteros, and four years and 10 months for Floria. Current councillor Cecilia Mangini is also involved through civil liability, although no penalty is being sought against her.
Political parties in Tarragona are already treating the case as a campaign issue. ERC spokesperson Maria Roig said it has affected previous elections in 2015, 2019 and 2023, while Jordi Collado of En Comú Podem said the case could be decisive if a verdict comes before the vote. He also criticised the PSC government for not making public statements on the matter.
Collado added that withdrawing the accusation “does not seem to us the best way to contribute to clarifying the facts”, saying it instead creates more political and media noise. The timing of the verdict remains central, with the case likely to hang over Tarragona’s 2027 campaign either way. For more local coverage, see our news archive.