Numerous arrests made after police raid Cornellà de Llobregat council

Police arrested eleven individuals at Cornellà de Llobregat council on Monday in relation to an ongoing investigation into alleged irregular contracts.

The case relates to alleged corruption in the sports department of L'Hospitalet council, a neighbouring municipality. 

The fiscal crimes unit of the Spanish Policía Nacional raided the building early on Monday morning before eventually detaining five individuals before 2 pm. The other six were arrested at the city hall in the afternoon. All were released by Tuesday and remain under investigation, but all detainees refused to testify.  

The first detainees were taken, hooded and handcuffed, from the sports department building, which is 100 meters from the city hall. Officers also removed two boxes with documents from the premises.

At the same time, police removed several boxes of files and paperwork from the headquarters of Baix Llobregat sports council. Cornellà de Llobregat is one of the municipalities that makes up the comarca (county) of Baix Llobregat.

An investigation is open in a Cornellà de Llobregat court for crimes of embezzlement, misuse of public funds, and fraud in public administration.

The original investigation in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat involves, among others, the city's mayor, Núria Marín.

As a result of that investigation, the judge opened a separate case in Cornellà. Cornellà council has said that they were asked for information in 2020, which they handed over.

The police search warrant supplied to the council did not link today's operation with the L'Hospitalet investigation, but Cornellà council assumes that they must be related.