Juan Sánchez, the ex-mayor of Casares (Málaga) and currently the town's Housing and Institutional Relations councillor, has remanded in custody by a court in Estepona, after being charged with bribery and corruption, amongst other crimes.

According to Sánchez' lawyer, Juan José Simón, the councillor has been charged with "bribery, corruption, urban planning offences and money laundering".

Simón told journalists this morning that the ex-mayor's wife, who had initially been detained by police yesterday, "has been released" and that a third detainee made a statement yesterday, with a fourth expected to make a statement today.

Sánchez, who spent more than two hours giving his statement to police, left the courtroom in Estepona at 2am today via the back door, whilst his wife left through the front door minutes later.

His lawyer confirmed that "the prosecutor has requested pre-trial custody, with bail set at 250,000 euros", but that "the judge decided bail of 200,000 was more appropriate".

Police raided the Town Hall in Casares at 08.20 am yesterday to seize documentation relating to the "Majestic" project, a building project which was under scrutiny back in 2010, confirmed the current mayor of the town, Antonia Morera, in a press conference yesterday afternoon.