Marbella mayor Angeles Muñoz is facing calls to resign after being fined for an illegal extension on a property she owns in the city.
The conservative Partido Popular (PP) mayor must pay almost €7,800 for the undeclared construction of a garage, which first came to light in 2022.
At the time, the politician categorically denied the claims, telling La Sexta: ‘Absolutely no construction works exist.’
But following a probe by her own city council, she was found to be lying and must now pay the fine.
The timing is less than ideal for Muñoz, whose stepson’s highly-anticipated drug trafficking trial began this week.
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Amid the negative attention, former Marbella mayor Jose Bernal, who leads the Socialist opposition, called on his rival to step down.
Speaking on Friday, he told Muñoz to ‘leave and stop harming and embarrassing the municipality.’
‘Marbella can’t tolerate any more scandals from its mayor,’ he said, claiming that the city is ‘in the national news due to the illegal actions of its municipal representatives.’
He alleged that residents are ‘fed up with the corruption at City Hall’, adding: ‘The most honorable way out for Muñoz is to step aside and stop clinging to the chair, which she has held for 16 years…
‘She has long since lost anything to offer the public and is only focused on resolving personal issues.’
Bernal blasted Muñoz for her repeated denials of the construction work back in 2022, during which ‘she even lectured journalists.’
He said the trial of her stepson Joakim Broberg is also not helping the resort’s image.
Broberg is in the dock at Spain’s most serious National Court, accused of drug trafficking and money laundering.
Broberg is accused of using offices in Marbella to run his own drug trafficking empire, allegedly boasting that ‘he controleed Marbella, Benahavis and all of Andalucia.’
‘The damage they are doing to Marbella is enormous, and the residents do not deserve this image of their city,” Bernal said.
Muñoz has always denied any knowledge of her stepson’s alleged crimes.
