ORIHUELA – August 4, 2025 — The Orihuela Council will refer two local festival committees to the Public Prosecutor’s Office for allegedly falsifying invoices to obtain more than €26,000 in public grants.
The scandal has raised serious questions about oversight in the city’s subsidy program, particularly the role of Councilor Rocío Ortuño (PP), who oversees the area of local festivities.
According to a technical report prepared by the municipal administration, the commissions for La Murada and Orihuela Costa submitted falsified or inflated documentation to justify advance payments received in December 2024. The City Council had issued subsidies of €19,280 to the La Murada committee and €7,352 to Orihuela Costa to support local celebrations in 2025.
The La Murada committee, closely tied to Cristian Berná—a former advisor to Mayor Pepe Vegara who resigned last Friday—is accused of significantly inflating expenses. The most glaring example is an €8,900 invoice for the local band “Juventud Musical de La Murada,” which was ultimately paid only €2,000.
Another €11,337 was claimed for printing services that the supplier confirmed had actually cost just €1,742.
In Orihuela Costa, auditors identified inconsistencies in bank statements used to justify the grant. The documents included suspicious formatting and questionable data. Upon investigation, the issuing financial institution confirmed that some of the listed transactions never occurred—providing what the City considers clear evidence of document forgery.
No further information as to the responsible individual has yet been made available on the Orihuela Costa discrepancies
The City Council is now demanding full repayment of the unverified amounts, along with interest accrued since December 28, 2024, the date the funds were disbursed. In addition, an administrative sanctioning process will be initiated, although it will be suspended if criminal proceedings move forward.
What remains unclear is how these irregularities went unnoticed at the time of disbursement. Councilor Ortuño, who oversees the area of local festivities and signed off on the grants, has not yet addressed why her office failed to verify the invoices before releasing public funds.
The oversight lapse is central to a growing concern about internal controls within the local government.
Municipal sources say the discrepancies were discovered during a routine audit that began on Monday, July 28. Just days later, on August 1, Cristian Berná resigned from his advisory role in the mayor’s office.
If the committees fail to return the funds, they could face not only charges of document forgery—which carries prison sentences—but also embezzlement of public funds. The City maintains that timely reimbursement could help avoid these more serious legal consequences.
This morning, the governing coalition of the PP and Vox announced a press conference to explain their handling of the case. Whether the event will offer a clear explanation for the lack of financial oversight remains to be seen.
