They ask for 8 years in prison

Pepe Vélez will have to sit in the dock. The Court of Instruction number 3 of Caravaca de la Cruz has ordered the opening of an oral trial against the general secretary of the PSOE of the Region of MurciaPepe Vélez, for the crimes of prevarication, embezzlement of public funds and falsification of documents, allegedly committed during his mandate as mayor of Calasparra, between 2017 and 2019, on the occasion of the organization of the Rice Bullfighting Fair which coincides with the patronage of holy festivals of the town of Calasparra.

The socialist leader will be accompanied in the dock by another member of the regional leadership of the PSOE: the match manager, Jordi Arcefor his work as municipal councilor of Festejos de Calasparra between 2017 and 2019. The opening of an oral trial against to the advisor of the Hacienda de Calasparra, Antonio José Merino; as well as against the sole administrator of Chipé Producciones.

The spokesperson for the Superior Court of Justice reported in a press release that the prosecution demands 8 years and 6 months in prison for the current secretary general of the PSOEPepe Vélez, personal friend of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez. The public prosecutor makes the same request for prison for Jordi Arce and Antonio José Merino. In addition, he demands 18 years of ban from holding public office and that the Calasparra town hall be compensated with 249,630 euros.

Pepe Vélez does not plan to resign from his position as secretary general, as he assured EL ESPAÑOL, responding briefly via WhatsApp: “There is an appeal before the Provincial Court.” “For the moment, nothing has changed“.

Throughout the judicial investigation, the magistrate rejected each of the appeals filed by Pepe Vélez, in order to avoid finding himself in the dock. so that The complaint filed by the private accusers was successful. who have been practicing since 2021the advisors of the time of the opposition to the Calasparra City Hall: Carlos Alajarín (Ciudadanos) and Alonso Torrente (Calasparra Viva).

The aforementioned councilors denounced the current secretary general of the PSOE, when he was mayor of Calasparra. In their complaint, presented by lawyer Juan Rigabert, they claim that the three politicians They ignored the public sector contract law in the organization of bullfights and bullfights at the Rice Bullfighting Fair. First, when signing agreements with Chipé Producciones, and later, when they rented the arenas to the Ruedo la Caverina company and sublet it to them. to Chipé Producciones -without signing a sublease contract-.

They detect irregularities

The judicial investigation ended in September and focused on the legal relations maintained by the Calasparra Town Hall – headed by Pepe Vélez – with the company Chipé Producciones, for the transfer of the location of the morning races of the cattle rented for the Rice Bullfighting Fair. All this, because The Town Hall had paid certain expenses with public money whose direct or indirect beneficiary was the businessman under investigation.

The TSJ spokesperson explains that the judicial investigation confirmed alleged irregularities which must be clarified during a hearing: “The actual disbursement carried out by the Town Hall, for The transfer of cattle for the bullfights far exceeded the agreed prices. between the Town Hall and the company, both in the 2017 and 2018 agreements and in the small contract of 2019″.