The Prosecutor's Office of Arrecife has expanded its investigation into possible irregularities committed by the Arrecife City Council in the contracting of parties in the capital of Lanzarote. The Public Prosecutor's Office has commissioned the Economic and Fiscal Crimes Unit (UDEF) of the National Police, the General Intervention of the State Administration, and the Court of Accounts of the Canary Islands to investigate the contracts between the Arrecife City Council and the company Wedding Plans, SL, responsible for organizing the Christmas fairs in the capital of Lanzarote, known as Navilan.
In a decree that La Voz has been able to access, prosecutor Fernando Rodríguez Navarro has asked the Economic and Fiscal Crimes Unit of the National Police to also investigate the latest Christmas fair in Arrecife, held between December 2025 and January 2026, which until now had not been the subject of the investigation opened a few months ago.
Likewise, the prosecutor has requested that the National Police pay "special attention" to the awarded company and the sponsorship contracts for the last two editions, those of the Christmas seasons of 2024 and 2025In this regard, it wants to clarify whether the billed services and the services actually provided correspond, the role of the contractor in the execution of the event, and whether the amounts received by the company are in line with market prices.
A possible "pattern of favoritism"
The Public Prosecutor's Office has requested that economic crimes investigate whether there could be a "pattern of favoritism" in the "repeated awards" in favor of this company by island and municipal public entities and in their "possible temporal coordination." Specifically, it has requested a police report that delves into the sponsorship contracts by the Arrecife City Council, the Centers for Art, Culture, and Tourism, and those carried out by the Lanzarote Tourism Promotion Society.
The Public Prosecutor's Office has requested that the National Police also investigate to clarify whether there are personal, professional, or economic relationships between the public officials involved in the contracting process and this company that could constitute a criminal irregularity.
At the same time, it has requested that the amount of public funds awarded to the company Wedding Plans be quantified, with special attention to contracts carried out by the Arrecife City Council in the days leading up to the events.
The Public Prosecutor's Office has also requested the involvement of the Public Business Entity of Art, Culture and Tourism Centers, as well as the Arrecife City Council, as La Voz had already reported.
A few months ago, the Prosecutor's Office focused on the lifting of objections and the contracts for Arrecife's festivals. In particular, it requested a full copy of the files related to the 2023 Navilan Fair, but also of other events such as the 2024 Carnival and the April Fair of the same year.
Letter to the General Audit Office of the State
In this new filing, the Prosecutor's Office has also sent a document to the General Comptroller of the State Administration (IGAE) requesting a preferential technical report analyzing the Arrecife City Council's sponsorship contracts for the last two editions of Navilan
The Public Prosecutor's Office has asked the General Audit Office to rule on whether the sponsorship contract complies with public procurement regulations and to assess whether it is appropriate for the services rendered. Therefore, it has requested a deeper analysis of whether the contract corresponds to the services performed and an examination of the timeline of the processing, taking into account details such as the date of issuance of the necessity reports, the initiation of the files, and their award.
In this regard, he has insisted that he clarify whether the expenses were properly justified, whether there was "adequate and sufficient" credit in the municipal coffers for these sponsorships, and whether there has been economic damage to public funds.
Request to the Court of Accounts of the Canary Islands
The Arrecife Prosecutor's Office has also requested from the Court of Accounts of the Canary Islands a report on the last two Christmas fairs in Arrecife. Specifically, it has asked for an audit report on the legality of the contracting and on the performance of the City Council's Intervention area, delving into the objections raised, the "eventual lifting of said objections" and the reiteration of objections regarding the last Navilan fair.
At the same time, it has requested that you indicate whether you contemplate "repeated or systematic" practices that are contrary to public procurement regulations and internal expenditure control, and whether these practices could constitute a criminal offense.