A criminal case concerning alleged irregularities in contracts issued by Tarragona City Council's Municipal Institute of Social Services (IMSST) has reached trial, 13 years after the CUP, a left-wing political party, filed its complaint in 2013.
Former mayor Josep Fèlix Ballesteros is among nine people accused. The case puts the City Council's handling of social-services procurement in 2011 and 2012 under court scrutiny, a matter directly relevant to Tarragona residents whose public funds financed the institute's contracts.
According to Diari ARA, the Public Prosecutor's Office is seeking a prison sentence of five years and eight months for Ballesteros, who was the Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSC) mayor at the time.
Charges and financial liability
The nine defendants face allegations including prevarication, meaning alleged unlawful decisions made by public officials, misuse of public funds, fraud and document forgery. The allegations have not been proven in court.
- The PSC has been named as a civilly liable party for profit, a legal status that can result in financial liability without being charged with the alleged offences.
- The party has already paid bail of €276,157, according to Diari ARA.
- Five other people are also named as civilly liable parties for profit.
The investigation followed a Civil Guard economic-crimes operation at Tarragona City Council in October 2015. Officers seized contracting records from the IMSST for 2011 and 2012 under the authority of Tarragona Court of Instruction No. 1, the investigating court handling the case.
Ballesteros's lawyer, David Rocamora, told Diari ARA that the defence wants the trial to proceed so it can seek to prove the former mayor's innocence.
Reported by en.ara.cat, ara.cat, Diari ARA.
