The Court of First Instance Number 2 of Arona (Tenerife), acting as a guard, has agreed to open an investigation to clarify an alleged case of electoral crime for the alleged purchase of PSOE votes in the town as a result of the complaint filed yesterday before the National Police by representatives of the Canary Islands Coalition, Popular Party and More for Arona.
Sources from the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands (TSJC) have reported this Friday that the judicial authority has already summoned the complainants to give a statement tomorrow, Saturday, one day before the municipal and regional elections scheduled for this 28th of May. The same sources have specified that after these interrogations were held, more proceedings could be agreed.
As they have stressed from the judicial body, so far no precautionary measure has been adopted and there is no record that so far the investigation is directed against any person.
CC, PP y Más por Arona filed a complaint for an alleged purchase of votes in the Tenerife municipality based on a conversation in a private WhatsApp group for sports activities in which a position of trust of the PSOE mayor, José Julián Mena, appears .
As stated in the complaint -supported by a screenshot-, an interlocutor sends a photograph with an electoral envelope where the candidate is seen and the words José Julián Mena Alcalde accompanied by the following words: “Manuel, the horse and I are with you.” After this publication, the current adviser to the mayor responds verbatim: “I did not expect less. The 50 euros when you vote.”
Once the candidates of the three political formations –Clara MarÃa Pérez (CC), Fátima Lemes (PP) and Dácil León (Más por Arona)– learned of this information, “which violates the main democratic rules,” they decided to put it on In the knowledge of the pertinent authorities, who will be in charge of clarifying whether a possible crime could have been committed in this way of proceeding.
As a result of the complaint, the PSOE of Arona sent a statement to the media in which it demanded that the opposition parties “provide real evidence and the opening of an investigation and not statements in a press release”.
The Socialist Party of Arona also rejected “the level of dirt and despair that is characterizing the electoral campaign in the municipality” where, in his opinion, “the minimum democratic guarantees are not being respected” with “the massive sending of false news, accusations in the media, insults, harassment, false surveys, the presentation of anonymous letters and attribution of crimes to relatives of the socialist candidate, as well as the harassment of extreme right-wing media”.
On this point, the PSOE has criticized the communiqué of the three opposition parties in which they affirm that the Socialists are buying votes, “something that this formation categorically denies and demands a rectification, since these are statements made without foundation and for free”.
In the opinion of the Socialists, “it is not enough to want to alter the result of the polls and an alleged screenshot to make an accusation of this type, but it is absolutely essential to open an investigation and provide evidence” .
From the PSOE they have assured that the pertinent legal measures will be taken and the rest of the parties and candidates have been required to campaign “from the cleanliness and respecting the contrast of projects, not with false accusations to get headlines and space in the media “.
This investigation is added to another that has been released this week in the Canary Islands. The Court of First Instance and Instruction of San Sebastián de La Gomera has opened an investigation into voting by mail in that town upon receiving a complaint from an individual about alleged irregularities in the municipal and regional elections scheduled for this Sunday, May 28. Legal sources have confirmed to Europa Press that the corresponding court has dismissed the individual’s request to annul the votes cast by mail as a precautionary measure and has agreed to continue investigating the facts denounced “without the investigation being directed against any person so far.” Tax sources have specified to this news agency that the Prosecutor’s Office opened investigation proceedings on May 19 as a result of a complaint for alleged fraud in voting by mail. Said proceedings have been filed upon learning that there is another complaint for the same facts in the Court of First Instance and Instruction of San Sebastián de La Gomera.
