Ben Pawlowski
A CHRISTMAS lottery in Andalucia has been thrown into disrepute after eagle-eyed onlookers suspected a local councillor of rigging its outcome.
Jose Luis Madueño, a Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) councillor for business in the town of Ubeda, has been accused of fiddling a festive raffle which had two prizes of €550 each to spend in the municipality’s local food market.
A video posted on Facebook by Ubeda Commercial, the company that sponsored the draw, shows Madueño picking the winning tickets out of a large container.
Afterwards, the winner of the second prize was revealed to be the mother of a fellow PSOE councillor.
Intriguingly, it wasn’t the first time she had won – she was the winner of the exact same raffle last year, also conducted by Madueño.
Video evidence appears to suggest that this double-feat may well not be a wild coincidence.
As Madueño reveals the first winning ticket, his right hand appears to be suspiciously rummaging around in his coat pocket.
Shortly after, the second winning ticket is revealed – curiously, it is folded over and creased, unlike the other tickets in the container.
Observant viewers took to social media to share their findings, with one viewer commenting: “If they do this with a Christmas lottery, imagine what they do with public money”.
The alleged manipulation of the draw has also created a storm in the town’s political circles.
Tomas Fuentes, spokesperson for the Partido Popular (PP) in Ubeda, has written a letter to the local council demanding “the opening of an investigation into the events that occurred”.
Additionally, local representatives for both VOX and Podemos have demanded an explanation for the “commotion” caused by the raffle.
The city council for Ubeda, situated in the province of Jaen, has labelled all accusations of manipulation as “categorically false” – cynics may beg to differ.
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