Librilla mayor José Martínez Cano, his urban development councillor, Pedro Martínez Muñoz, municipal land management boss, José Andrés Cortés, and former regional government officer, José Luis Cano, were all remanded without bail by a judge at Murcia provincial court yesterday.

All are charged with running a real estate scam that may have netted profits totaling around seven million euros.

A fifth man, Domingo Peñalver, who is the co-owner of the Acadi company, and jointly responsible for drawing up the town's urban development plan, was released on bail, but must present himself at court every fifteen days.

The wives of Mr Cano and Mr Cortés, as well as the council's former legal advisor, Cesáreo Gil de Pareja, who were arrested last Thursday, have been released without charge.

Council probe mayor accused of accepting bribes
By: thinkSPAIN
Friday, November 21, 2008

Librilla's conservative mayor, José Martínez, and two others were arrested yesterday accused of accepting illegal commission payments as part of a wider investigation into property-related corruption.

The identities of the other two arrested men has not been confirmed though it is known that one is one of the mayor's four deputies, while the other is a legal advisor who lives in Murcia.

The photo shows Mr Martínez during a search of his home carried out yesterday afternoon.

Five detained in council corruption probe
By: thinkSPAIN
Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Two of the five people arrested in Murcia yesterday as part of a property-related corruption probe are the two men directly responsible for drawing up the urbanisation plan for Librilla: former civil servant, José Luis Cano, and country path engineer, Domingo Peñalver.

They are accused of bribery, prevarication and conducting illegal negotiations with public officials.

Nine addresses, including regional presidency HQ in Murcia, where Mr Cano used to work, Librilla Town Hall, company offices as well as several private homes, have been searched.

Neither local mayor, José Martínez (PP), nor any of the eleven other elected council officials (six PP, five PSOE), are implicated at this stage of the investigation.

Urbanisation councillor, Pedro Martínez, said that he had no idea what the investigators were looking for, and that his conscience is clear.

He added that next year's urbanisation plan, which had been on the verge of being approved, has the backing of conservatives and socialists alike.