The Provincial Prosecutor's Office of Las Palmas has filed a lawsuit before the investigating court on duty in Arrecife against the mayor of Arrecife, Yonathan de León (PP), and the deputy mayor and councilor for Finance, Contracting, and Celebrations, Echedey Eugenio (CC), for the alleged irregularities detected in the contracting of the first edition of Navilan, the first Christmas Fair of Arrecife, held between 2023 and 2024, the Arrecife Carnival of 2024, and the April Fair of 2024.
In a document addressed to the Court, the Public Ministry has stated that "there are rational indications" that the irregularities detected in the contracting of events in Arrecife would not be "isolated episodes" but rather "a repeated way of acting." At the same time, it highlights that criminal offenses against Public Administration could have been incurred.
Among them, it considers the alleged commission of a crime of administrative prevarication, another of fraud against the Administration, a crime of embezzlement of public funds, and the possibility of extending it to other crimes that may be detected during the judicial investigation.
Splitting of contracts for a single event, according to UDEF
This decision is made based on a report from the Unit for Economic and Fiscal Crime of the National Police (UDEF), dated June 30, 2026, which analyzes only the case of the Navilan 2023-2024 celebration due to "the volume of documentation received" and identifies indications of an "intensive use" of minor contracts, the possible splitting of contracts, the contracting of linked services that were carried out in separate files, the objections from the Intervention and their lifting, and the use of discrepancy reports. It also warns of the "repetition of certain awardees."
The UDEF explains that the execution of the first edition of Navilán was based on "a plurality of minor contracts" and "separate files" that could be against the public sector contracts law, as it was a single event.
Furthermore, it grants "special relevance" to minor contracts where a budget was formally requested from three companies, with "extraordinarily reduced" deadlines, and was ultimately awarded to the only company that submitted an offer. Thus, the Economic Crimes Unit of the Police adds that "the systematic reiteration" of this "pattern" in "numerous files" constitutes "a relevant indication" that this competition corresponded solely to providing "a mere formal appearance."
The case of Billy Capers
The Prosecutor's Office, in its brief addressed to the Investigating Court, states that the reports incorporated into the event Billy Capers, held in September 2025, show indications that it was allegedly held "without any administrative contract being validly perfected" that would grant "sufficient legal coverage" to the event.
In this regard, it highlights that the municipal audit warned that it was improper to recognize economic obligations for actions that had not been granted following the relevant legal procedure.
A complaint from lawyer Octavio Topham
The opening of the pre-trial investigation in the Public Prosecutor's Office began with the complaint filed by lawyer Octavio Topham Camejo on August 13, 2025, almost a year ago. The lawyer set out the alleged irregularities detected in the contracting of these events.
In his complaint, Topham set out the alleged abusive use of minor contracts, as well as the possible artificial splitting of contracts, contracting carried out without prior planning or the formulation of objections and the lifting of objections by political bodies. He also pointed out the alleged omission of the principles of publicity, competition, and transparency required in public procurement.
Following this complaint, the Public Prosecutor's Office requested various documentation from the Arrecife City Council, as well as reports from the Municipal Audit and the General Secretariat. It also took statements from municipal officials, the Arrecife auditor, the general secretary, and the complainant.
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