The socialist ex-mayor of Ronda, Antonio María Marín Lara, and several people who served as councillors while he was in office were arrested today under suspicion of town planning irregularities. 

At least six other people have been arrested, including Francisco Cañestro, Secretary of the PSOE in Ronda, María José Martín de Haro, the ex-town planning councillor and Rafael Lara, another ex-councillor.  An area in the centre of town was cordoned off today as the town hall offices and their private offices were searched and police confiscated documents and computers alike.

The Anti-corruption Prosecutor issued a court order for the police searches to be carried out as part of an ongoing investigation, that began over a year ago, into possible corruption in Ronda's town planning department, in which a number of former government workers are suspected of bribery, forgery, influence peddling, misuse of public funds and money laundering, amongst other crimes.