The president of the Provincial Council of Almería, Javier Aureliano García, has presented his “voluntary resignation” from his post, a day after being released on charges in the investigation of corruption, embezzlement of public funds, money laundering, influence peddling and corruption in public procurement, arising from the first mask case investigated in Spain since 2021. The former popular leader was arrested last Tuesday for his alleged links to a network of companies that received irregular premiums from this supra-municipal municipality since 2016.
“The decision to resign was taken by the person who has been president of the Institution for the last six years, convinced of his innocence and freedom that this step forward will facilitate the return to normality of institutional activity, as well as the development that the province has experienced in recent years”, reads the press release issued by the Provincial Council of Almeria. Francisco Giménez, who until now was vice president of the organization and right-hand man of García, who was accused in the case from the beginning, also resigned.
The resignation of the president of the Provincial Council was made known shortly before the press conference held in Almería by the general secretary of the Andalusian PP, Antonio Repullo, and by the new president of the PP of the province, who is also general secretary and minister of Agriculture, Ramón Fernández Pacheco. In the meeting with the media they did not announce who will replace García at the helm of the institution and ruled out the possibility of holding an extraordinary provincial congress. Both Repullo and Fernández-Pacheco defended the strength of the party’s response to this crisis. “We act decisively in the face of any judicial investigation,” said the new head of Almería’s popular formation.
Repullo also made it known that he hopes that the mayor of Fines, Rodrígo Sánchez Simón, accused since 2021 of the mask case, will also resign from office. “Otherwise, he will continue to be mayor, but not of the PP,” said the general secretary of the Andalusian PP. The Finnish councilor, like García and Giménez, were suspended from militancy the same Tuesday.
(There will be an extension)
