The Caso Arona

[Janet]

It never rains but it pours, and in Arona, it is currently pouring. In addition to the annulment of the municipality's PGO and the shame of the various elements of the Caso Arona finally coming to court (link, another link, and again here - live links in the post on my website), now Arona Court 3 has imputed (named as formal suspects) the current mayor and 13 councillors over the ruling in 2012 that barred ex-mayor Reverón from holding office. Then mayor Reverón had been found guilty of misconduct in official office, specifically with respect to traffic of influence in contracting staff, but the court's judgment was ignored with the mayor continuing in office until his appeal was heard. He was finally hounded from office after the appeal confirmed the original ruling.

In all, Arona Court 3 has now imputed 15 local politicians, 14 of them councillors of the present administration, including current mayor Francisco José Niño and environment councillor in charge of the municipality's beaches and lifeguards, Antonio Sosa Carballo. The fifteenth is former mayor José Alberto González Reverón himself. They have been denounced by the Fiscalía Anticorrupción for attempting to keep ex-Mayor Reverón at the head of the council in violation of the Santa Cruz Court 1's ruling of 28 June 2012 that barred him from holding public office for four and a half years. JA

[Guanche]

I will look forward to hearing the conclusion of this case.............. if I live that long, and can stomach the no doubt pathetic sentences handed down if any.

[Janet]

This case was concluded in the last week, and the verdicts should be in by the end of the month. I've updated the article HERE, and was talking about it to Clio on Radio Sur Adeje today. The programme is HERE, and my bit is from 53 minutes.

[Janet]

And finally it is over. Former mayor José Alberto González Reverón has been found guilty of continuous official misconduct, and sentenced to 17 years disqualification from holding public office and fined. Other councillors, technicians and a businessman involved in "operations", some of whom have been found guilty of bribery in addition to official misconduct, have been similarly disqualified from public office, fined up to €700,000, and some have received prison sentences of up to five years. Some sources have expressed surprise that despite this final verdict being the third guilty verdict Reverón has received, he himself has not received a custodial sentence.