Frigiliana town hall has been raided by the Guardia Civil in the latest corruption investigation to hit the Costa del Sol.
The force is probing suspected offences of misconduct in public office and the misuse of public funds.
Officers entered the PSOE-run ayuntamiento early on Tuesday morning and remained inside carrying out searches ordered by a court in nearby Torrox.
Witnesses said nobody was being allowed to enter or leave the municipal building while officers carried out their enquiries, with the last employee reportedly leaving at around 10.10am.
The Guardia Civil has confirmed the operation is linked to an ongoing judicial investigation into alleged prevaricacion (misconduct in public office) and malversacion de caudales publicos (embezzlement or misuse of public funds), but has declined to provide further details while the case remains active.
It is not yet known which municipal departments are under scrutiny, what specific actions are being investigated or whether any arrests have been made.
PSOE calls for caution
Following news of the raid, the PSOE’s Malaga branch said it had learned of the operation through the media.
In a statement, the party called for ‘caution’, expressed its ‘full respect’ for the judicial investigation and pledged its complete cooperation with investigators.
It added that it hoped the facts under investigation would be clarified as quickly as possible so that ‘the appropriate explanations’ could be given.
Opposition demands answers
The operation has reignited criticism from opposition parties.
The PP, which has controlled Frigiliana in the past, said it had spent the last two years raising concerns over what it described as irregularities in the council’s management, particularly regarding public contracts, transparency and the use of public resources.
Provincial PP coordinator Cristobal Ortega called on the PSOE to provide ‘clarity, transparency and full cooperation with the courts’, saying residents deserved immediate political explanations given the seriousness of the investigation.
The party stressed that it respected both the Guardia Civil’s work and the presumption of innocence.
Vox also reacted strongly, with Malaga provincial president Antonio Sevilla claiming the case showed that ‘PSOE corruption has no limits’.
He linked the investigation to national corruption allegations involving figures close to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, although no evidence has been presented connecting the Frigiliana investigation to those separate cases.
The judicial investigation remains ongoing and no charges have been announced.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
