Alternativa Ciudadana announced this Thursday that the Las Palmas Prosecutor's Office has observed "the possible existence of a crime of urban planning and administrative prevarication" in the granting of the license for the Islas Canarias parking lot, in Arrecife. In this sense, Andrés Barreto has pointed out that "initially" five people must declare "as defendants" for these events, denounced by the formation on January 21.
Barreto has pointed out that "the defendants" are "four officials from Arrecife and a former councilor, responsible for the area" when the license was granted, during the Mayoralty of María Isabel Déniz. He even said that "some" of these four officials are the signatories of the new project that the City Council has sent to the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands to achieve the legalization of the parking lot.
However, Barreto has refused to give their names, despite being aware of the "interest" that may arise. "We are not going to give it and we apologize, but we do not want them to use Alternativa's complaints for other purposes," he said at a press conference.
However, Barreto has given some more information about these defendants. "There are four officials from Arrecife from the Technical Office, who are asked to testify as defendants. It is also requested that the statement be taken as a defendant from a former councilor. I will have to go to testify as a witness and another municipal official, an architect, will also testify as a witness," Barreto announced.
"In their statement, the defendants will have the opportunity to explain if they acted in conscience, with the law in hand and if they were aware of the urban plans of Arrecife, if they acted freely and voluntarily or were coerced or did so at the request of a public office," he stated.
Barreto has pointed out that the Las Palmas Prosecutor's Office has sent the complaint to the Arrecife Dean's Court for its subsequent assignment to an Investigating Court. In addition, he indicated that "the pertinent criminal procedure has been initiated", after Alternativa Ciudadana "provided about 700 documents in this complaint".
Against the Government Commission
Alternativa Ciudadana did not file a complaint against these officials of the Arrecife City Council, but against the Government Commission, which governed the municipality on May 6, 2002, when the license for this parking lot was granted. The complaint from the political formation also requested responsibilities for "the delegate councilor, the incumbent secretary or secretaries in functions and the construction and operating company of the parking lot".
Alternativa filed this complaint considering that "all the actions carried out for the granting of the license were carried out knowing that it was null and void". "A change of use was being carried out in terms of the surface and the subsoil and, in addition, a public road was absorbed by the work," Barreto recalled.
Legalization project
Barreto has also spoken about the legalization project of the Islas Canarias parking lot, which the Arrecife City Council has presented to the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands. "With favorable reports from all the technicians, it has been considered that legalization is possible. Now it will be the chamber that determines whether or not it conforms to law," he said.
Despite the fact that Alternativa Ciudadana has always defended "the restitution of the violated space" by this project, the current government group, to which AC now belongs, is trying to legalize the parking lot. However, Barreto has stressed that his formation abstained in this vote and has pointed out that "it continues to maintain the same position".
"We understand that there has not been a substantial change, because the sentence is null and void and must be executed. We have not changed our opinion, and therefore we are going to see what the chamber says. Even with new positive reports, I dare to say, on a personal level, that they contradict previous reports," Barreto indicated.
However, Barreto has pointed out that this issue will not cause "the pact to be broken". "Unless we see something that is not legal, we will not give the opportunity for the pact to be broken," he indicated, while stating that "I wish there was political will from the government group of Arrecife to do things as it was said from the beginning".
"What we cannot continue to allow is for sentences contrary to law to be used to legalize. That is crazy, but it has always been done in Lanzarote. You do the work, it is illegal, but then even the citizens are used, asking questions such as 'and how where are the citizens going to park?' That is the culture," he denounced.
