The judge of the Court of Instruction Number 3 of Palma, Martina Mora Torrens, has cited the mayor of Eivissa, Rafael Ruiz (PSOE), as being investigated, in the framework of an investigation opened years ago that seeks to clarify the process of adjudication of the management of the Ibiza Yacht Club. The summons has been made, for June 21, but the moment it is known, less than 40 days before the municipal elections, may have unexpected consequences at the polls.
The summons as investigated is part of the so-called ‘Ports case’, which investigates the awards of various marinas on the islands. The investigation began years ago with the arrest of the president of the Balearic Islands Port Authority, Joan Gual de Torrella, a position appointed by the president of the Government, Francina Armengol, according to the Ministry.
The judge assures that she cites Ruiz to guarantee her constitutional rights of defense. It ensures that the statements contained in some minutes of the board of directors and seized communications indicate that the mayor’s actions “may not have been limited to accompanying with impunity the allegedly prevaricating and/or fraudulent decision under investigation, unlike other members of Board of Directors of the Port Authority”.
“The absolute guarantee of the right to defense must prevail within the criminal procedure, which obliges the person to be heard with the assistance of a lawyer and with all the rights provided by law,” says the judge. What you want to determine is the participation of the mayor in the concession of the port to a specific company. The company that lost the concession is the one that has filed the complaint.
The summons as investigated comes at a particularly delicate moment for the socialists in Eivissa, since there is just a little more than a month left for the May elections. The polls indicate a clear victory for the PP throughout the island, which gives it guarantees to govern in the Consell d’Eivissa, but there are no polls on the situation in the City Council.
The indictment of the mayor of Eivissa is opposed to that of the president of the Consell, Vicent Marà (PP) for another alleged case of corruption. In his case, the award of a contract during the covid for promotional work on the island is being investigated. The Prosecutor’s Office understands that it could have benefited a former councilor of the Santa Eulà ria City Council with whom Marà worked when he was mayor.