Tom Ewart Smith
A SPANISH mayor is facing calls to step down after it emerged he used public funds to wine and dine himself and friends.
Partido Popular spokesperson for Zaragoza, Maricarmen Lazaro, said Lucio Cucalon ‘cannot continue a second longer in office,’ and that if he does not resign, the PSOE ‘should dismiss him’.
The declaration comes after news that Cucalon (pictured above), mayor of Aguaron, used public funds to eat at a well-known restaurant in Zaragoza – at a time when the town’s coffers are seriously struggling.
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The meal happened on December 29, 2023, and Cucalon was accompanied by three councillors.
A bank transfer made from the Aguaron Town Hall to his personal account on March 22, 2024, has revealed that the bill totalled a handsome €403.70 – more than €100 per person.
The four diners spent:
- €48 on oysters
- €34.20 on red prawns
- €28 on acorn-fed ham
- €22 on artichokes with ham and foie gras
- €20 on Galician-style octopus
- €52 on two garlic-roasted goat dishes
- €28 on a hake neck
- €40 on a bottle of Pago de los Capellanes
- €55 on a bottle of Brut Nature
If that wasn’t enough, the mayor and his guests decided to tuck into four desserts totalling €28, two coffees (€2) and two teas (€2).
The bill was also rounded off by some beers, bread with olive oil, and the usual 10% service charge.
On Thursday, Cucalon was approached by El Español de Aragon for comment about the meal.
He said: “I don’t think I had it,” despite the hard evidence of a receipt with his name on it.
While authorities have called for necessary change, the general public have also expressed their anger over the scandal.
One user on X exclaimed: “A town with a debt up its eyeballs, and this scoundrel is spending money on feasts!”
Another suggested that politicians ‘convert institutions into country houses,’ while somebody else remarked ‘it’s strange that there were no prostitutes involved’.
As the first user alluded to, Aguaron faces a dire financial situation.
The town’s own auditor, Alejandro Rodrigo, has described the finances of Aguaron as ‘very delicate,’ and he warns of a ‘serious risk’ that municipal public services could be affected.
The town, with around 600 residents, only had €18,487 in its treasury in January, while outstanding loans stood at €26,028.
Rodrigo has also pointed to a track record of suspicious Town Hall transactions, such as payments exceeding €3,000 for bottles and cases of wine from the local cooperative in 2024.
These payments came without any documentation proving their public purpose or intended recipients.
The financial officer has requested the elimination of all non-essential expenses to guarantee the provision of basic municipal services.
Cucalon’s actions will no doubt raise questions about his past.
He has previously been convicted of workplace harassment against two employees, and faced a legal case for an alleged offense of document forgery.
