Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)By Matthew Pritchard in Almeria
A MAYOR, who has been caught up in a 150 million euro corruption scandal, is running his town hall from prison, it has been claimed.
Opposition councillors claim that disgraced mayor of El Ejido, Juan Enciso, is still making key decisions for the Almeria town.
A total of 20 people have been arrested in connection with the case, in which 150 million euros were allegedly embezzled from council coffers.
Eight of them, including the mayor, have been sent to Almeria’s El Acebuche prison without bail.
But Sr Enciso insists he is innocent and has ignored repeated calls to stand down as mayor instead, appointing a deputy to run things in his place.
Now prison governor Miguel de la Cruz has confirmed that he has had meetings in prison with deputy Ignacio Berenguel.
He revealed that like other prisoners, the mayor is entitled to ten five-minute phone calls and two 20-minute visits each week.
Politicians across the political spectrum have united to criticise Sr Enciso’s decision and claim the ‘temporary mayor’ is nothing but a stooge, put there to carry out Sr Enciso’s orders.
A demonstration just before Christmas attended by over 1000 people demanded his resignation.
The protest attended by hundreds of locals and politicians demanded an end to the matter.
PSOE politician, Guadalupe Fernández, said: “El Ejido deserves to have someone running it that doesn’t have to keep one eye on what is happening in a prison.”
Mystery still surrounds the ‘Deep Throat’ who tipped police off to the alleged financial irregularities occurring at the council via an anonymous letter in February 2007.
