The financial crimes unit of the Guardia Civil have levied charges against José Luis Sánchez Teruel, sec gen of the PSOE in Almería, claiming that he illegally siphoned off taxpayers money at least five times whilst Andalusian secretary of the environment between 2008-2009 via fake contracts.
A Judge must now rule on whether or not to formally charge José ahead of a full trial.
A 200 page police report shows how José, along with some 10 other people named in the charge sheet, conspired to win public tenders that José was in charge of evaluating. José would ensure that they won the bids and accept a large kickback. A number of public functionaries have also been charged – a total of 28 people have been named in the charge sheet, many of them directors of the public society Comunidad de Regantes del Bajo Guadalquivir (CRMG).
The case is known as “Maresmas” and is looking into how at least 40 million euros of taxpayers money went missing via inflated work bids for the care of Andalusian agricultural waterworks and wetlands in the west of the region.