Alicante City Council faces expanded legal complaint over contract splitting

The political coalition EU-Podem has expanded a legal complaint against the Alicante City Council regarding the alleged splitting of contracts within the municipal legal advisory department. The coalition has submitted thirteen pieces of documentary evidence, estimating an economic loss of approximately 35,000 euros.

The complaint targets Mayor Luis Barcala, Vice Mayor Manuel Villar, Finance Councilor Nayma Beldjilali, and former councilor Toni Gallego. EU-Podem is seeking to prove a continuous crime of administrative malfeasance (prevaricación administrativa) concerning municipal contracts issued between 2022 and 2025.

While the Provincial Prosecutor's Office previously archived the case due to a lack of criminal significance, noting a “palpable regulatory loss” that was “hardly justifiable,” the coalition is insisting on a judicial review using new internal control reports from the last four fiscal years.