Alex Trelinski
TWO Torrevieja Policia Local officers have been jailed for demanding money from businesses to avoid fines for alleged law breaking.
One officer was given five years behind bars at an Elche court over two counts of extortion.
He was fined €5,400 and barred from working for any council or state entity for 12 years.
A second officer was convicted of bribery and received three-and-a-half years in prison, a €3,800 fine, and gets a ten-year work ban.
A Serbian national who helped the corrupt officers was jailed for three years.
Two other police officers and a jeweller were acquitted.
The crimes were committed in 2017.
A Chinese restaurant owner in Torrevieja was told that he had broken several laws and would get fortnightly visits with fines each time of up to €10,000.
The officers told him that a €40,000 payment would make the problem got away, but the owner stood his ground, and knocked their demand down to €6,000.
He never paid it but recorded one of the threatening conversations which he handed over to the Guardia Civil.
Another business owner was asked for protection money totalling €20,000 but the demand fell down to €2,000, which again was not paid with Guardia officers observing one of the meetings.
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