Group urges council to defend public funds allegedly diverted under former mayor Mónica Lorente
Cambiemos Orihuela has called on Orihuela Council to immediately join the ongoing court case into subsidies granted to Orihuela CF between 2007 and 2009, in a bid to recover €824,000 allegedly diverted during the government of former mayor Mónica Lorente.
The municipal group says it is “incomprehensible” that the council has still not formally entered the proceedings, despite the Public Prosecutor’s Office offering the City Hall the option to act as the injured party and claim compensation for the funds in question.
“Defending the public interest is not optional. It is a legal and moral obligation,” said Quique Montero, councillor for Cambiemos Orihuela. “If there are indications that public money was misused, the City Council must be part of the case and try to recover every last euro.”
Cambiemos Orihuela warned that failing to take part in the proceedings effectively means turning a blind eye to the alleged diversion of public funds and siding with those under investigation. The group argues that walking away from the defence of municipal interests, when taxpayers’ money is at stake, makes the council politically complicit — through inaction — in an unacceptable dereliction of duty.
The party is now demanding that the mayor and his governing team act without delay, formally join the legal process and stand up for Orihuela and its residents, “not for those allegedly responsible” for the missing funds.
