Espadas censures the "helplessness" of the mayoress and the former number 3 of the PSOE-A due to the Maracena scandal

The leader of the Andalusian PSOE, Juan Espadas, has censured this Tuesday the “helplessness” in which they find the acting socialist mayor of the Granada town of Maracena, Berta Linares, and the former number 3 of the PSOE-A, Noel López, both investigated in the legal case for the alleged kidnapping of a former socialist mayor who was going to denounce a case of alleged urban corruption in this municipality.

Espadas has asked the courts to call both of them to testify “as soon as possible” so that they can “defend themselves” against the “false accusations” of the alleged kidnapper and ex-boyfriend of the mayoress, who would have pointed to both as alleged inducers of the kidnapping, according to explained in an interview with Canal Sur Radio. Noel López, who was mayor of Maracena for more than a decade, temporarily resigned from his functions as Organization Secretary of the Andalusian PSOE when it came out that he was going to be investigated -before charged- judicially.

In this matter, justice should act with “diligence and speed”, has remarked the general secretary of the Andalusian PSOE, who considers that the investigator of the case should take statements from those involved as soon as possible to clarify the kidnapping of the councilor last month February.

Depending on how the judicial investigation proceeds, the Andalusian PSOE “will make the decisions that it has to make” in relation to the acting mayoress of the municipality and her predecessor at the head of said council and former number 3 of the PSOE-A in line with that investigation.

The PSOE code of ethics provides that any socialist leader who is called to trial must abandon any responsibility. “I would ask them to respect the times of the judges. We have an ethical code, but we have not yet reached that”, Espadas has settled, when he has been questioned about the possibility of applying this ethical code to those involved in the kidnapping of the socialist mayor. “Take a statement as soon as possible and, when the courts speak, we will abide by it,” he added.

Along these lines, he has assessed that Noel López has informed him that he has asked the Superior Court of Justice of Andalusia (TSJA), “which is the one who can take the statement in this case” given his status as an Andalusian parliamentarian, “declare how much before, and to be able to simply say that he is innocent of what he is accused of, and to be able to explain his arguments”.

Regarding the kidnapping of the councilor, Espadas has acknowledged that the Andalusian PSOE is “concerned” by an issue that has “dirty and scandalous overtones”. However, he has advocated allowing the mayor and Noel López to defend themselves. In addition, he has avoided evaluating the images in which Berta Linares is seen with her then partner and alleged kidnapper just after the abduction occurred.. This video refutes the version that the mayoress initially transferred about the event.

The Provincial Council of Cádiz

On the pacts after the last elections of May 28, the general secretary of the Andalusian PSOE trusts that they will reach “agreements as soon as possible” to govern the Diputación de Cádiz and the City Council of Jaén.

Both the Cádiz Provincial Council and the Jaén City Council were in the hands of the PSOE in the last legislature, but on March 28, the Socialists achieved 14 representatives in the Cádiz provincial body, the same as the PP, which won in number of votes in the province. The tiebreaker and the key to governance is in the hands of the party led by the mayor of La Línea, the independent Juan Franco, who obtained two deputies.

In Jaén, the candidacy headed by the socialist Julio Millán was the most voted in the local elections, although it obtained the same councilors -eleven- as the PP, while Jaén Deserves More obtained three councilors and Vox the remaining two at stake in the Jaén town hall.

In both cases, Espadas has indicated that his party is not going to “delay the negotiations, as the PP is doing with Vox in autonomous communities and in other places”. As he explained, the Socialists are “tightening negotiations in the Diputación de Cádiz to reach an agreement with Juan Franco and La Línea 100×100, and we are logically trying by all means that the candidate who has managed to win the elections in Jaén, who is Julio Millán, becomes mayor again, as the people of Jaén have requested.”