Court orders Anti-Corruption prosecutors to hand over files on controversial Les Naus development
A judge has formally taken over the investigation into the controversial allocation of 140 subsidised homes in Alicante and has demanded that the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office forward all information it has gathered so far.
The case, centred on the Les Naus residential complex in the La Condomina area, has landed in the Benalúa Court after a magistrate admitted a criminal complaint filed last week by the far-right union Manos Limpias. The move forces prosecutors to transfer four separate complaints already lodged over the housing contracts.
Magistrate Amparo Rubio will now lead the inquiry into alleged irregularities surrounding the awarding of the protected housing. The complaint accuses those involved of crimes including falsifying commercial documents, influence peddling, administrative misconduct and prohibited negotiations by public officials.
Although the complaint runs to just three pages, it names ten individuals. Among them are former Urban Planning Councillor Rocío Gómez, Alicante City Council officials, those responsible for the housing cooperative and developer, and a notary. The allegations are largely based on previously published media reports.
Until now, the matter had been under investigation by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, following complaints filed by Alicante City Council, the regional Housing Department, and political parties PSOE and Sumar. Under Spanish law, once a judge opens proceedings, prosecutors must pass all related material to the court.
The first alert came from Sumar, which reported the case to Anti-Corruption shortly after the Les Naus scandal emerged, citing possible crimes against public administration and demanding checks on whether the process met legal standards of equality, transparency and impartiality.
The PSOE later filed its own complaint, pointing to signs of corruption, fraud, unlawful negotiations and abuse of office. It named several senior figures, including a former council director, a municipal architect, the project manager and members of the city’s governing board.
City Council investigators also raised concerns that municipal staff involved in handling the project may have been awarded homes themselves. Particular suspicion has fallen on a municipal architect who worked on the process and owns a flat in the development.
Meanwhile, the regional Housing Department has accused one of its senior staff of approving contracts using false income data, allegedly allowing his wife, a municipal architect, to qualify for a home. That complaint may yet be expanded after further files were found to be missing key financial information.
The investigation is now expected to widen as the court reviews all four complaints and supporting evidence.
