The Civil Guard has already issued an official press release on the new phase of Operation "Unión" in Lanzarote, which responds to the name of Operation "Jable" and has so far left the arrest of eight people, for alleged crimes of bribery, influence peddling and activities prohibited to public officials.
According to the Armed Institute, "the investigation has made it possible to dismantle the most important organized network in Lanzarote dedicated to collecting illegal commissions from businessmen, as well as the economic enrichment of public officials who shared interests in companies benefited in these activities."
In addition, the statement indicates that "the economic benefits from the payment of invoices for services rendered to the administration, awarding of contracts or the review of these contracts, depended to a large extent on administrative decisions of the positions and former public officials belonging to the organization."
The operation, which remains open, is being carried out by agents of the Urban Crime Group of the Central Operative Unit of the Civil Guard, under the direction of the Investigating Court number 5 of Arrecife and the Prosecutor's Office for the Environment and Urbanism of Las Palmas, and arises from the analysis of the documentation seized in the Arrecife City Council as well as to various businessmen, in the course of Operation "Unión", which began almost a year ago with the first records.
Those arrested this Monday are the former president of the hotel association Asolan, Francisco Armas, the former councilor of the Cabildo of Lanzarote and former secretary of the local group of the PSC-PSOE in Arrecife, Miguel Ángel Leal, and Manuel Spínola, engineer of the Cabildo of Lanzarote in the area of Waste. Also arrested was the former mayor of Arrecife, María Isabel Déniz (CC), Rafael Arrocha, in charge of the technical office of the Arrecife City Council and Julio Romero, member of the PP, former councilor of the Cabildo and current director of the Office of La Caja de Canarias in Arrecife. The other two detainees are Jacinto Álvarez, manager of urbaser and in Madrid, Stephani Jean Valverde, employee of the same company.
