“Christmas preparation meeting meal, 850 euros.” This is the entry in the council accounts that has sparked controversy in the Torrevieja City Council since the spokesperson for Sueña Torrevieja, Pablo Samper, called attention to this item among the bills whose expense was authorised by the mayor, Eduardo Dolón.
What is not known are the specific topics discussed during that that afternoon meal in front of the sea or the diners in attendance, only that it took place on 15 December in one of the best-known restaurants in Torrevieja, Barlovento.
In the plenary session, the mayor was surprised, assuring members that he will find out the reason for the meal, while at the same time he flatly denied that any councillor from the government team attended it. Instead, he let it slip that, it could have been a work meeting of City Council officials.
This last statement has since aroused the indignation of the unions, CC OO, which came out yesterday to express their discomfort, stating that they have no evidence of any meal at the aforementioned restaurant “or any other.” “The Christmas meals attended by officials have paid for from their own pocket.”
The union goes further and stating that it felt that among the diners would be some of Dolón’s trusted staff: “We do not know if the mayor may have confused the term ‘officials’ by meaning to refer to public officials, advisors or those in freely appointed positions,” they said.
Municipal employees, CC OO insist, “whether they are civil servants or industrial personnel, have not received any Christmas basket or any gift for more than twenty years.”
