Countrywide anti-corruption operation leaves 51 top politicians in custody
Monday, October 27, 2014 @ 11:10 PM
FIFTY-ONE politicians have been arrested in a massive corruption swoop, including at least six mayors from towns in the Greater Madrid region, the president of León provincial council and a former mayor in Cartagena.
Ex-Secretary General of the PP for the Madrid region, Francisco Granados - who was Esperanza Aguirre's second-in-command when she was regional government president - is one of the most high-profile detainees, and police have carried out stringent investigations in town councils including those of Móstoles, Parla, Collado-Villalba, and Valdemoro where Granados was mayor from 1999 to 2003.
The current mayor of Valdemoro, José Carlos Boza Lechuga; of Parla, José María Fraile; of Collado-Villalba, Agustín Juárez and other Madrid towns have been taken into custody.
Others have been arrested in León - head of the provincial council, or Diputación, Marcos Martínez, and Murcia - former mayor of Cartagena José Antonio Alonso.
Some are said to have been arrested in the Valencia region and investigations have been carried out in the city council and regional goverment, or Generalitat, but names have not been released.
Mayoress of Valencia, Rita Barberá, says she is 'absolutely astonished, wide-eyed in disbelief, and intrigued', as she does not know much about the case since it has been declared sub judice.
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