“I was embarrassed to be seen with the boat.” This is the reason given by José Antonio Lahuerta, councilor of the Zaragoza town of Utebo, for which he stole a bottle of lubricant from a pharmacy in said municipality. The petty theft, which was recorded by the store's cameras, resulted in a fine of 180 euros per day at a rate of six euros per day for 30 days.
During the trial, the aforementioned mayor, who belongs to the Independent Federation of Aragon (FIA), acknowledged the facts and apologized to the owner of the pharmacy, to whom he returned the stolen product once he had news of the complaint so that it could be placed back on sale.
“How did it occur to you to take the boat and take it?” the court's chief magistrate asked Lahuerta during the hearing, to which he responded that he was “embarrassed” to be seen with that product, which cost 14 euros.
“It is not an economic issue, it is my fears and obsessions. He had gone in to buy medication; I don't know why I took it, and then I didn't dare leave it because of shame," added the mayor, who clarified that he is not going through a good personal moment. “I won't do it again,” he added.
Lahuerta went to the local pharmacy on October 20. At one point when there were several customers inside, he took the bottle of sexual lubricant without purchasing anything else.
When it came time to count, the person in charge of the establishment missed the aforementioned product, so she decided to view the security cameras installed in the premises. Upon verifying that a man had taken the boat, she notified the Utebo Local Police, whose agents recognized the FIA councilor when reviewing the camera recording.
Subsequently, the pharmacist filed the corresponding complaint and the Civil Guard opened proceedings against the mayor, who was investigated for an alleged minor crime of theft.
He then explained that it was “a misunderstanding” and “a misinterpretation” of the situation. In reference to the bottle of lubricant, she added that “having it in my hand made me uncomfortable, I didn't know how to react and I immediately went to rectify it.”
Lahuerta's political life is even more turbulent. He began his political career as a socialist councilor, a group that he left in 2012, leaving the PSOE-IU government team of Utebo in the minority. He kept the minutes, became an assigned councilor and during that term he agreed with CHA and PP.
Later, he joined Unión Progreso y Democracia (UPyD), then Ciudadanos and finally landed in FIA.
As a result of the scandal, on November 7, his party colleague in the municipal corporation resigned “out of ethics,” criticizing that Lahuerta did not leave his position despite the fact that he initially announced his resignation in writing. “A person who makes a mistake of this type should immediately stop being a public official and be the first to set an example,” he explained.
