The local branch of Spain’s Socialist Party (PSOE) is calling on Torrevieja’s mayor, Eduardo Dolón, to take responsibility and offer explanations following the conviction of his former right-hand woman for prevarication.
The Socialists argue that the mayor should lead by example—something he has recently demanded of others. In past interviews, Dolón insisted that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez should resign for having placed trust in corrupt individuals.
“Just a few days ago, he even showed a photo of Ábalos in Les Corts Valencianes, yet when it comes to himself, he prefers to apply double standards,” said PSOE councilor David Villanueva.
The former Deputy Mayor of Torrevieja—who served as one of Dolón’s closest collaborators for years—has been sentenced to seven years of disqualification from holding public office for committing a crime of prevarication. She had been appointed by Dolón to manage key departments, including Contracting, Parks and Gardens, and Urban Sanitation, overseeing major contracts such as the city’s waste management services.
The court found that the former councillor unlawfully awarded €232,000 worth of contracts to seven companies without proper procedures. The judgment states that “fully aware of the illegality of her actions,” she chose which companies would supply materials or carry out work for an employment workshop, negotiated directly with them, and issued orders verbally and by phone—blatantly ignoring public contracting laws.
Villanueva, who shared a video message on social media, claimed: “There’s nothing left of these projects or the €232,000 invested—because the Siesta Park was built right on top of them in a clear attempt to bury a judicial case that they ultimately couldn’t hide.”
The former councillor resigned in December 2022, which, according to the Socialists, only came after it was confirmed—following weeks of denial—that she would stand trial in two separate cases. Another prevarication case is still pending, in which the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor is seeking an additional 12-year disqualification. Although 11 years were initially requested in this case, procedural delays reduced the sentence to seven.
“What’s most striking,” Villanueva added, “is that the businesspeople who testified all agreed on one thing: they weren’t surprised by the irregular contracting process—they said it was standard practice at Torrevieja City Hall.”
The councillor went on to say that the mayor must publicly respond to the testimonies and strongly condemn the crimes committed by his favoured councillor. Instead, Dolón praised her and fondly recalled her during his last election campaign, despite her resignation.
“Mr. Dolón must take responsibility, apologize, and set the example he demands of others,” Villanueva concluded. “And by the way, the City Council has the right to demand civil liability from its former councillor for the interest payments that had to be made with public funds due to unpaid invoices that ended up in court. Do you think they’ll actually do it?”
