Alicante Council Accused of Splitting Contracts for External Lawyers

The municipal government of Alicante, led by mayor Luis Barcala, faces an expanded complaint from the left‑wing municipal group Esquerra Unida‑Podem. The group cites an internal audit that confirms the council repeatedly divided public procurement contracts to hire external lawyers, despite having vacant positions within its own legal department. The audit reports that 52.17 % of the legal‑service contracts were irregular, amounting to €57,302.03 across 24 invoices, breaching article 99.2 of the public‑contracting law. The complainants argue the practice is habitual and ignored the auditor’s objections, causing delays for service users and additional interest costs for the administration.