Councillor spends €200,000 on mobile phone in a month

Council investigates how the bills got so high

BURGOS The Mayor of Burgos, Javier Lacalle (PP), decided to separate Councillor Eduardo Villanueva temporarily from his duties because the head of the Department of Technology and Industrial Engineering allegedly spent over €200,000 on a telephone card owned by the Council. The expensive calls happened between April and May last year. The suspension is only temporary, according to a communiqué from the town hall, 'until matters regarding some phone bills are cleared up.' The PSOE opposition on the Council has asked for a full investigation committee, to which Vice-Mayor Ángel Ibáñez replied that it is probably the result 'of billing errors by the phone company', though he admitted later that the facts before him now seemed to prove otherwise. Meanwhile, municipal employees staged a loud protest asking for the Councillor's resignation.

Sex video councillor's mayor summoned to court

TOLEDO / Los Yébenes (Agencies) The Mayor of Los Yébenes, Pedro Acevedo (PP), has been called to court by the magistrates investigating how a private explicit video of Councillor Olvido Hormigos (PSOE) was put up on the internet (See Councillor resigns after her erotic video appears on internet). Acording to the EFE agency, court sources say that th Mayor is not formally charged with anything yet, but is summoned to make a statement that would 'help with the magistrate's enquiries'. He is due to appear on September 27 and has been advised to 'come with his attorney'. Hormigos did not in the end present her resignation, despite 'having a very bad time of it'. The magistrate has charged a local football player and 'intimate friend' of the councillor in the case.

Councillor resigns after her erotic video appears on internet

TOLEDO (Agencies) Socialist Councillor Olvido Hormigos Carpio has resigned from the Council at the small village of Los Yébenes, in the province of Toledo. Her resignation was accepted this morning 'on personal grounds'. It comes after the married councillor was seen in a video she insists was meant for her husband 'and nobody else' began circulating in the village about a month ago. Hormigos says that she believes it got into the internet via an e-mail at the town hall. She admits to 'going through a very bad time' and has lodged a complaint with the Guardia Civil, though it is likely to be very difficult to find the original source as the video is located on WhatsApp. SOON YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO SEE ITEMS SUCH AS THIS WITHOUT A SUBSCRIPTION. Subscription information will be available soon.

La Línea payment struggle gets nasty: Councillor attacked

Aurora Camacho

LA LÍNEA (Agencies) Councillor Aurora Camacho, who is responsible for personnel and public works, and is preganant, was attacked by a female municipal employee on Tuesday morning. Police are investigating the incident, which occurred against the background of heightened tension in the municipal workforce over unpaid salaries. The workers have not been paid for seven months and tempers are increasingly frayed. The worker, a cleaner currently on sick leave, could face criminal charges and will also face a disciplinary process. Councillor Camacho fainted after the attack and received medical attention on the spot. Protests continue and are getting increasingly aggressive, although one group of workers held a peaceful demo close to the governing party's (PSOE) headquarters and to Mayor Gemma Araujo's home. In the meantime, all political parties have condemned the incident and other incidents have begun to occur in other municipalities with serious salary payment difficulties. For example, the Guardia Civil are investigating a fire that yesterday destroyed a vehicle belonging to a councillor in San Roque, in the belief that it is arson.

Councillor orders police to remove fines: "You'll know who I am in the morning"

Tarifa on a quieter day

TARIFA (Agencies) Councillor José María González (PP) caused a scene last September when he and others were being fined for parking in a pedestrian area. The incident occurred when the councillor and several friends made use of the fairground area for an impromptu meeting. When the Local Police arrived and began writing parking tickets, González began by ordering them to remove them from his and his friends' vehicles. According to a report filed at the police headquarters that same day, González addressed the police in an 'authoritative manner' and 'contemptuously'. Apparently, after some discussion 'that was increasing intone', he also said one of the policemen would 'not make it to retirement as an officer.' The Council opposition has called for the councillor's resignation, as well as that of Mayor Juan Andrés Gil for being 'an accessory and an accomplice.' Another councillor, Juan José Medina admitted that González had "put his foot in it." However, the €200 fine has been paid, but the media storm surrounding the incident has all other parties chasing after González's blood.

Councillor gets 4 months for police incident

Councillor Carlos Bezares

SAN ROQUE (Agencies) Councillor for Tourism Carlos Bezares (PSOE) was sentenced on Monday to 4 months in prison and 16 without driving licence, after a court, in 'speed trial' (juicio rápido), confirmed that he disobeyed police instructions last Friday when he was asked to take a breathalyser test, as well as 'committing an offence against road safety', according to sources. These also say that he showed  'all the symptoms of drunk driving.' The incident occurred in Pueblo Nuevo de Guadiaro, when the councillor saw a police control and made a manoeuvre to evade it. The police stopped him not knowing who it was. He was asked for his documentation and to take a breathalyser test, which he refused. He was reported to his superiors as well as to the court, since 'disobedience is an offence', as the police report.