The operation in Albudeite (Murcia) investigates at least one case of alleged purchase of votes in exchange for drugs

MURCIA/MADRID, 26 May. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The operation in Albudeite (Murcia) of the Civil Guard with thirteen detainees, including the PSOE candidate for Mayor, Isabel Peñalver, investigates at least one alleged case of buying votes in exchange for drugs, sources inform Europa Press Of the investigation.

In total there are 15 people related indicatively for a crime of electoral fraud, 13 of them arrested and two investigated. In addition, three of those arrested are allegedly responsible for a crime of drug trafficking, which was the origin of the police investigations in this town of 1,300 inhabitants.

The aforementioned sources point out that "a specific case" of buying votes in exchange for drugs is being investigated as a result of wiretapping that the Civil Guard had been carrying out.

The PSOE candidate for Mayor, Isabel Peñalver, would be implicated in the investigation; and number 19 on the lists of the socialists for the Murcia Assembly, Héctor Antonio Martínez, both arrested this Thursday. Number 6 on the local list was also arrested.

The head of the Court of First Instance and Instruction number 1 of Mula has issued an order by which she lifts the secrecy of the investigation related to the alleged purchase of votes in exchange for money in the elections of 28-M in the town of Albudeite.

Up to the moment of issuing this resolution, according to TSJ sources, the procedure was directed against seven people, three of them also investigated in the previous proceedings for crimes against public health, since the operation started as a result of wiretapping of another investigation related to drugs carried out by the Civil Guard.

Preliminary Proceedings 215/2023 are opened for an alleged crime of electoral fraud, so in the same resolution the judge agrees to cease the telephone interventions that she had agreed upon and transfers an official letter to the Zone Electoral Board, to notify them the existence of a procedure for electoral crime, initially limited to the municipality of Albudeite, according to the TSJ.

The court opened this independent case when, unexpectedly, in some measures agreed upon in another proceeding for the alleged crime of drug trafficking, the possible existence of vote buying was warned.

Thus, the court has received this Friday the report with the proceedings carried out yesterday by the Judicial Police, which reflects the arrest and subsequent release of 13 people, including the 7 who were investigated in the procedure, and the appearance of 2 more people as investigated.