A major corruption scandal in Orihuela has ended with prison sentences and a multimillion-euro bill for those responsible. Five key figures — including former mayor Mónica Lorente — have been ordered to repay more than €5 million to the Orihuela City Council for rigging the town’s garbage collection contract.
The court ruled that Lorente, two former councillors, powerful businessman Ángel Fenoll, and one of his closest collaborators, acted together to manipulate the contract for years, costing taxpayers millions.
A rigged contract and years of abuse
According to the Alicante Provincial Court, between 2000 and 2011 politicians and businessmen worked hand in hand to block a fair tender process. Their goal was clear: keep the lucrative garbage collection service in the hands of Fenoll’s companies, no matter the cost.
When the contract was finally put out to tender, the judges found that it was deliberately delayed and then cancelled without any legal reason, even though official reports supported another company, Urbaser. The move forced Urbaser to go to court to defend its rights — and it won.
Taxpayers paid the price
The damage was enormous. Orihuela City Council was forced to pay €4.74 million in compensation to Urbaser, a sum approved in 2021 and funded by a public loan.
Now, the court has ordered the main figures behind the scheme to repay that money — along with hundreds of thousands of euros in illegal profits made by Fenoll’s companies. Together, the bill exceeds €5 million.
Prison sentences handed down
The financial penalty comes on top of prison sentences for nine defendants in the main case of Operation Brugal.
Former mayor Lorente was sentenced to four months in prison and barred from holding public office for nearly two years. Her former councillors received sentences of up to one year behind bars.
Fenoll, described as the central figure in the scheme, received the harshest punishment: three years and nine months in prison. His son and two collaborators were also sentenced to jail.
Not everyone was convicted. Former mayor José Manuel Medina, Lorente’s predecessor, was cleared of all charges.
“Clear signs of criminal conduct”
The judges made it clear that the outcome could have been even tougher. They said there was evidence of serious criminal behaviour that could not be fully used because it was not properly examined during the trial.
Even so, the court concluded that the 2007 decision to cancel the garbage contract was taken “fully aware of its illegality” and in open violation of public procurement rules.
The ruling also describes how confidential information was passed to Fenoll and how politicians allegedly received gifts and cash payments in return.
A case that refused to die
This verdict is the second ruling in a case that has dragged on for years. An earlier acquittal collapsed in 2024 when a higher court ruled that key evidence — including wiretaps — should have been considered.
That decision reopened the door to justice. Now, more than two decades after the scheme began, the Orihuela garbage case has finally produced convictions — and a powerful warning about the cost of corruption.
