Alicante Court Delays Trial of Former Orihuela Mayor Until October 2028
The Alicante Provincial Court has postponed the trial of former Orihuela mayor Emilio Bascuñana, accused of being paid for work he by no means carried out, till October 2028. The alleged occasions date again to the early 2000s. The oral listening to had been scheduled for spring subsequent 12 months, however the courtroom cited “precedence” circumstances as the explanation for delaying it greater than two years.
Bascuñana, a member of the People’s Party (PP), is just not the one former mayor in Orihuela whose authorized proceedings have confronted prolonged delays. Current mayor José Vegara, additionally from the PP, not too long ago noticed his trial postponed. Vegara faces seven years in jail for 2 tax offenses and one depend of forgery, stemming from occasions 20 years in the past. Bascuñana has skilled comparable delays.
The former mayor was as a consequence of stand trial on fees of embezzlement and abuse of energy. The anti-corruption prosecutor is searching for a three-year jail sentence and a six-year ban from holding public workplace. Additionally, Bascuñana faces a five-and-a-half-year prohibition from holding any public workplace or employment associated to offering medical providers in companies underneath the Generalitat (Catalonia’s regional authorities), the place he at present works as a major care doctor.
Allegations Involving the Generalitat
The Public Prosecutor accuses Bascuñana of embezzlement and prevarication, performing as each instigator and confederate. He allegedly obtained funds from the Ministry of Health for over 4 years with out performing any documented work. The anti-corruption workplace claims that between November 2007 and December 2011, Bascuñana misappropriated €141,031 in public funds for a job that investigators couldn’t confirm. He retired from politics after a no-confidence vote eliminated him from the mayoral workplace in April 2022.
Delays and Controversy
The trial had been scheduled to start on March 4, 2026, with a verdict anticipated on May 6, 2026. However, the XI part of the Provincial Court in Elche has postponed it till October 2028. By then, over 20 years may have handed for the reason that alleged offenses, making the disqualification penalties sought towards him largely symbolic if he’s convicted.
Provincial anti-corruption prosecutor Pablo Romero appealed the postponement, calling it “disproportionate” given the importance of the case and the time already elapsed since fees have been filed. The courtroom, presided over by Judge Gracia Serrano and drafted by Judge Cristina Eugenia Betrián, rejected the enchantment, citing an absence of accessible dates earlier than October 2028 and the non-priority standing of the case. The determination is just not topic to enchantment.
Other Pending Cases in Orihuela
Bascuñana is just not alone in going through delayed authorized proceedings. Former PP mayors José Manuel Medina and Mónica Lorente are additionally awaiting courtroom choices relating to alleged misconduct whereas in workplace. Medina faces one trial, whereas Lorente faces two.
The Alicante Court in Elche can be dealing with the primary corruption trial within the so-called Brugal case, regarding contracts for rubbish assortment and avenue cleansing in Orihuela within the early 2000s. Initially acquitted, 34 defendants—together with Medina and Lorente—are actually awaiting a brand new ruling after the Supreme Court overturned the earlier verdict.
Additionally, former mayor Lorente awaits the Supreme Court’s determination in a case involving alleged irregularities in awarding contracts for the Vega Baja mega-landfill. The Provincial Court had dismissed the case, exonerating 13 defendants, together with former PP politician José Joaquín Ripoll and businessmen Ángel Fenoll and Enrique Ortiz. The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor has appealed.
