Five million euros seized from Marbella following a lawsuit over Juan Antonio Roca's assets are refunded with interest

The state tax administration agency (AEAT) has had to return to Marbella town hall the 4.7 million euros it seized through the municipal television channel together with a total of 839,200 euros in interest. This enforcement of the judgment comes after a legal dispute lasting nearly seven years between the two administrations over the proceeds from the sale of assets belonging to Juan Antonio Roca, the former urban planning adviser involved in operation Malaya. Thus, the treasury was demanding that the town hall hand over the 12 million euros obtained from the auctions that, in 2018, the president of the Malaga provincial court, José Godino, granted to the local authority. This money was paid out of the compensation in favour of Marbella set by the judgments of the 'Saqueo I' case, for 24 million euros, and 'Saqueo II', for 37 million.

In this way, each of the institutions understood that it was entitled to this amount. The AEAT demanded this payment from Marbella to pay off part of the debt owed to it since the corruption cases in Marbella, and the council refused to hand it over, claiming that it belonged to the residents. Finally, the supreme court has ruled in favour of the Marbella town hall. "Fortunately, we had a firm position that also endorsed what we understood to be justice for Marbella," said the town's mayor, Ángeles Muñoz.

The mayor has asked the state tax administration agency to "take responsibility" for the damage caused to the people of Marbella. In this regard, it is worth noting that both the tax agency and the general treasury of the social security (TGSS), when this conflict arose in 2018, revoked the instalment agreement that the local government had negotiated — a forty-year plan at 1 per cent interest — to settle the €260 million debt the council owed to both entities as a result of corruption cases. "This unilateral decision has meant that our council could not apply for subsidies such as the national plan to combat drugs, or transport subsidies, among others, because they did not give us the certificate that we were up to date with payments," the mayor explained.

"We have been paying all the monthly instalments religiously, which is what we understood to be in force, but they understood that we were still maintaining the totality of the debt because they had suspended it," she added.

 Nearly 5 million 

Muñoz explained how the almost five million euros and the interest that the treasury has had to return to the municipal management will be divided. "The town hall is going to use it in three annual instalments, but we are starting this year, 2025, for which we are going to allocate 1.2 million to public services," she said.

Specifically, 83,000 euros will be allocated to the maintenance of parks and gardens, and the upkeep of Marbella, Nueva Andalucía and Las Chapas. A total of 350,000 euros will go to San Pedro Alcántara. Another 20,000 euros will go to a technological application for the maintenance of the municipal register software, and approximately 40,000 euros will go to the area of commerce. "These are amounts that are returning to Marbella after having been taken away from us and are going to be used for public service," she concluded.