One of the opposition parties at the Council of Mallorca, Més, is calling for the immediate resignation of Council vice-president Pedro Bestard of Vox following claims by Ultima Hora that he has been using official cars for his personal use.
The allegations were published on Sunday, an investigation of the use of Council vehicles by Pedro Bestard having apparently begun a year ago.
Reacting to these, Catalina Inés Perelló of Més said they were "extremely serious", stressing that official cars cannot be used for events specific to a political party or be parked in front of private residences (Bestard's own in Marratxi).
She pointed to particular concern arising from the suspicion that the Council vehicles were being used without their official markings, thus suggesting there has been an intention to conceal information and avoid public scrutiny.
Perelló added that Més will be submitting a series of information requests regarding routes and daily logs of the drivers who have used these cars (two vehicles have been identified). These requests will apply to the Council's governing team as a whole and not only to Bestard. "If the reports are confirmed, we are facing a major institutional scandal," she stated, also pointing the finger at the Council's president, Llorenç Galmés of the Partido Popular. "He cannot remain silent or look the other way. If Bestard does not resign today, he (Galmés) has a political obligation to dismiss him."
Catalina Cladera, spokesperson for PSOE, the main opposition party, said on Sunday that if the personal use of public resources is confirmed, it would be a "very serious case that cannot be tolerated". Cladera focused on Galmés, reminding him that he was the one who allowed Vox to enter the island government and implement its policies. "If public resources are being used for personal gain, it is even more serious. President Galmés is the one who must answer for this."
Pedro Bestard has denied any misuse of official cars: "I only use them for official purposes, never for personal matters."