Amidst a series of alleged electoral corruption cases that have emerged in Spanish localities in the final days before autonomous community and municipal elections, there is one case whose details seem particularly bizarre. In the Andalusian town of Maracena, near Granada, it is alleged that the Socialist (PSOE) municipal councillor Vanessa Romero was kidnapped, in a plot which, according to the judge's indications, was an inside job within the party, headed by the PSOE organizing secretary for Andalusia, Noel López. The reason for the kidnapping, which ultimately failed, was that Vanessa Romero wanted to reveal a case of municipal corruption, and other party officials wanted to "give her a scare." Today it became known that the kidnapper, Pedro Gómez, acquired a toy gun on Amazon, one with a deceptively-real appearance, to threaten the local body politician, according to Spanish digital daily El Independiente. Pedro Gómez was the romantic partner of the town's mayor, Berta Linares, also a Socialist.
According to the kidnapper's explanation to the judge, on February 21st, at around 9:30am, the councillor had left her two children at their school on the outskirts of Granada when Pedro Gómez appeared and told her that he had run out of gas and asked her if she could give him a lift. Vanessa Romero agreed to help, but after passing through a roundabout the kidnapper took out the 'pistol' and threatened her. For the occasion, Pedro Gómez had put on coloured gloves, gray on the palms and phosphorescent green on the back. The fact is that Vanessa Romero was scared and followed the kidnapper's directions, until they entered a recreational area near the Cubillas reservoir, about 10km away. There, Pedro Gómez secured the woman's wrists and ankles with cable ties.
Cellphone, wrapped in aluminum foil
He also took the kidnapped woman's cellphone and wrapped it in aluminum foil, because "that's how he saw it in a movie, so that it wouldn't have coverage." After arguing discussing over aspects of the city council, the councillor began to cry and asked Pedro Gómez if he was going to kill her. They then got back into the car, but after a short while Vanessa Romero said she felt faint and was going to vomit. The kidnapper then stopped the vehicle and, after further argument, said he was going to put her in the trunk. After more verbal exchanges, the councillor finally managed to escape at around half past twelve.
According to the statements, the kidnapper and the mayor met on Tinder, and since November 2020 they had been together. But no longer.
The judicial statement considers that there are "enough elements" for the High Court of Andalusia to take action against the secretary general of the Andalusian PSOE, Noel López, given that he is a regional MP and therefore must appear before the higher court, for an alleged crime of incitement to illegal detention, as well as opneing a case against the mayor Berta Linares and the town planning councillor, Antonio García Leyva. In addition, the judge considers that there is enough evidence to investigate the planning documents that the defendants were allegedly so concerned about, and asks that an investigation be initiated in this regard.
Maracena mayor Linares has denied her involvement in the kidnapping, in statements made this Friday. In the main photograph above: her appearance before the media.
Postal votes bought in return for drugs, say Civil Guards
Meanwhile, in the case of alleged vote-buying for this Sunday's elections in the town of Albudeite (Murcia), the Civil Guards carrying out the investigation believe that those involved bought the postal votes of vulnerable people and drug addicts in the municipality in exchange for money and, in "one key case", drugs. Phone surveillance by the Civil Guard of three people investigated for an alleged crime of drug trafficking, ordered by a judge in Mula, led to the arrest of 13 people for possible crimes of tax fraud and charges being laid against two others. Among those arrested are the PSOE candidate for mayor of the municipality, Isabel de los Dolores Peñalver; the number six in the candidacy, Lorena Navarro Rodríguez, as well as her husband and her two children. Also arrested was Héctor Antonio Martínez, member of the candidacy for the Murcia regional parliament at 19th place in the list, who is also the head of training for the regional executive of the Socialists in Murcia. According to sources in the investigation, those involved in the plot offered between 100 and 200 euros per vote. The operation for alleged electoral fraud remains open and has been elevated by the investigating judge to the Central Electoral Commission.