Public funds of more than €26,000 under scrutiny; former PP adviser denies wrongdoing and accuses City Hall of political theatre
The Prosecutor’s Office has launched a criminal investigation into alleged falsified invoices tied to festivals in La Murada and Orihuela Costa. The case stems from a report submitted by Orihuela City Council, which flagged possible irregularities in subsidies amounting to €26,632.
The funds had been advanced by the local administration in December 2024 to the two festival committees, intended to finance cultural and festive activities overseen by Councillor Rocío Ortuño (PP). On August 19, the Elche Prosecutor’s Office, based in Orihuela, formally registered the City Council’s complaint, which was supported by 117 files containing account statements, invoices, and repeated requests for explanations over what municipal technicians described as “obvious inconsistencies.”
The City Council is demanding the return of €19,280 from the La Murada festival committee—formerly led by Cristian Berná, a political adviser to Mayor Pepe Vegara who resigned following the scandal—as well as €7,352 from the Orihuela Costa committee, a much newer organization.
Berná pushes back
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Berná denied any wrongdoing and said he had filed objections against the order to return the subsidy. He described the procedure as “null and void” and accused the local government of fabricating “a false narrative” for political effect.
He criticized the council for publicizing the case before notifying those involved, saying it was driven by “an excessive and undisguised zeal to showcase their supposed commitment to justice.” Berná also accused officials of undermining the presumption of innocence by boasting in a press conference that tighter municipal controls had exposed the irregularities.
Calling the affair “a bad farce of a comedy script,” Berná insisted he had always submitted authentic documents to justify the subsidies, with the assistance of the Festivities Department’s staff, who registered and stamped the invoices. He argued that the allegedly false invoices were unknown to the festival committee until the repayment process began and said an independent IT expert has been commissioned to analyse the files.
Berná maintains that the committee sufficiently justified the use of the funds and claims the affair has caused him “irreparable moral and material damage,” for which he intends to seek legal redress.
