PSOE denounces the serious lies spread by Toni Pérez to evade responsibility for the Serra Gelada conviction

Given the accumulation of verifiable falsehoods and lies spewed by the mayor at the press conference last Friday, April 4th, and in the interest of transparency and truth, the Socialist Group in Benidorm City Council is obliged to make the following statements:

1. This judicial process has ended, as stated in the Supreme Court's ruling. We are not at a stage of the process dependent on others, as the mayor insinuated. The outcome is extraordinarily serious and marks a turning point for the public purse. The winning party can request enforcement of the ruling in a few days. Toni Pérez is concealing this situation and the extremely serious consequences that will follow, giving the appearance of a false sense of normalcy.

2. It is the highest judicial bodies in this country that, with their rulings, have ratified Toni Pérez's mismanagement. He should abandon the arrogance and haughtiness with which he approaches this matter.

3- The origin of this situation: the PP, with the support of current mayor Toni Pérez, implemented an agreement in 2003 that benefited several builders. The PSOE was the only party that opposed it and voted against it, as it created rights for landowners that we rejected. The mayor dared to state in his last press conference that the agreements "always raised many eyebrows for the PP" when he defended them tooth and nail.

4- In response to complaints from business owners and to avoid costing the public purse millions, Benidorm City Council unanimously renewed the agreement in 2010, under the mandate of Socialist Mayor Agustín Navarro. Contrary to the truth and what is stated in the municipal minutes, Toni Pérez told the press that the agreement was renewed "on its own." Contrary to the mayor's claims, the PP voted in favour of that renewal.

The statements made by PP councillor José Ramón González de Zárate (PP) at the plenary session of April 26, 2010, confirm Toni Pérez's hoax:

"I can only say that it's a formality. I want to congratulate all the owners, thanks to whom we have created a magnificent natural park that is the envy of all the natural parks in this region and Spain... There's no need to make any political capital or talk much further, but with the favourable votes of both groups, it's positive for this Sierra Helada Natural Park." (We attach the audio recording of González de Zárate as proof.)

The plenary session renewed the agreement in 2013 by a simple majority, with the mayor's casting vote. This formality was approved by the Municipal Secretary, as recorded in the official minutes, which Toni Pérez ignored in his appearance. The PP, incomprehensibly, reversed its position here in 2013, a position it had firmly held for more than a decade, and rejected its agreement. It's worth remembering the context of confrontation that existed within the PP at the time, which affected business and social sectors like those involved in this matter.

5. Toni Pérez must explain the dark motives that led him in 2013 to change what he called the "roadmap" for the Serra Gelada lands. This radical change of position led him to refuse to renew the agreements in 2016, something that the TSJ and the Supreme Court have deemed illegal.

In conclusion, Mayor Toni Pérez is the person ultimately responsible for the financial collapse of the city council, since the agreement was signed by him in 2003 and was defended and ratified with his vote in 2010. He subsequently reversed his position, a change that Spain's highest courts consider illegal. In short, Toni Pérez supported some business owners and granted them certain rights, and then, for reasons far removed from the general interest of Benidorm, he unlawfully took away those same rights.

Given the seriousness of the events, their consequences, and the lies with which the mayor attempts to evade his responsibility, we demand his resignation.