On Wednesday, Guardia Civil officers took away documents related to 1,400 proceedings for building planning infractions from Pollensa town hall. The documents had been gathered by the town hall after the anti-corruption prosecutor, Joan Carrau, had demanded their seizure.
Some months ago, and acting on the complaint of an unnamed individual, Carrau started an investigation into alleged irregularities in the processing of these infractions. It is suspected that there was a systematic fraud on which a value of 169 million euros has been placed.
Following the removal of the documents, the councillor for urban planning, Bartomeu Cifre Bennàsar, said that the town hall is now working on strengthening the planning department in equipping it with all the means available. "We want a well-equipped and stable service," he noted, adding that there will nevertheless need to be an "analysis" of the department. The allegations surrounding the fraud cover the period from 2004 to the present.
Because there has yet to be an in-depth analysis, the ruling administration at the town hall abstained when a motion was raised for the town hall to place itself under the Council of Majorca's agency for urban planning discipline. What this means is that it could cede responsibilities for planning legality to the Council, something which some town halls have decided to do.
The Alternativa per Pollença, who raised this motion, says that no proceedings for planning infractions have been opened for several months and that only 3,000 out of an anticipated 680,000 euros for infractions have been collected. The party adds that it hopes that the prosecutor will listen to the fact that opposition parties and the ruling administration made clear during a council meeting that they were all aware that there has been non-compliance with planning regulations in Pollensa.
Cifre notes that the infringements are lighter than they were some years ago and says of the Alternativa's motion that it didn't envisage there being any report into the real situation regarding planning in Pollensa, which is what the analysis of the department will now seek to address.