I have lived, worked and done business in Alhaurin el Grande for over twenty years. During this time I have witnessed firsthand many cases of corruption amongst local politicians and civil servants. Needless to say none of these cases were ever brought in front of a judge. Eight years ago Don Juan Martin Seron came to power by ousting the then socialist mayor, via a vote of no confidence, and he went on to win two further elections. He was never forgiven by the socialists for having taken over a town which was traditionally theirs since democracy was restored to Spain.
Juan Martin Seron is a very difficult and complex person to describe. He is well educated, intelligent, pragmatic and very authoritarian. He does not suffer fools and is implacable against his enemy. He is convinced that he alone knows what is best for Alhaurin el Grande, modesty is definitely not his strong point and the word diplomacy does not appear in his dictionary.
Since coming into power he has worked incessantly to improve the infrastructure of the town which had been totally neglected by his predecessors. In order to do this badly needed work he devised a plan for raising money. The plan was simple and quasi legal. A building company would donate an amount of money to the council in exchange for increased edificablity. (Usually extra attics, on top of the ground plus two, allowed in most urban areas). Another fund raising activity was the ‘certificate of antiquity’ for a building more than four years old that originally had not been properly inscribed in the property registry, which present laws permit and admits. The problem as I see it is not whether these ‘donations’ to the council were legal or not. If we go down this road it will take lawyers and judges a hundred years to come to a decision, if ever.
The crux of the matter is whether the money paid to the council was employed in its totality to improve the town’s infrastructure or not (here one only has to look at what has been done in Alhaurin in the last eight years to realize that it has), or if the Mayor and Councilors actually pocketed these donations in part or all of it. I cannot put my hand on the fire for every member of the Council but I am convinced that Juan Martin Seron is not a crook. What he sees as his reward for having improved the infrastructure of his town beyond expectations comes in the form of street names, squares and public buildings being named after him and the thought of a nice monument at the entrance to the town is what motivates him. If he wanted money he would have stayed managing a bank and doing land deals on the side. Everyone knows he has got the brain and capabilities and ruthlessness to become the best business man this town has ever had, but instead he opted for immortality of a different kind.
For more information (in Spanish) check out these links and please don’t forget to comment and let me know your opinion too.
http://www.cope.es/hemeroteca/2010/03/29/malaga/22-03-10--martin-seron-estoy-seguro-absolutamente-mi-inocencia-porque-nunca-he-birlado-nada-151475-2
http://www.larazon.es/noticia/7796-la-fiscalia-pide-cuatro-anos-de-carcel-para-el-alcalde-de-alhaurin-el-grande
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/red/alcalde/Alhaurin/recibio/642000/euros/sobornos/elpepiesp/20090115elpepinac_16/Tes/
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