A court is investigating businessman José Elías for building a house in Tiana in a forest park.

BarcelonaMataró's Investigative Court No. 2 is investigating businessman José Elías, founder of the renewable energy company Audax and owner of the La Sirena supermarket chain, for allegedly illegally building the house in Tiana on protected forest land. According to reports, The Country and ARA has been able to confirm from judicial sources, Elías is accused of a planning offense and has already testified in court in this case.

The house in question is a two-story mansion, with a swimming pool and paddle tennis court – according to the newspaper – for which the businessman did not request a license from the Tiana City Council and which is located in the heart of the Cordillera de Marina forest park. According to The Country, In 2018, local police received a warning about the construction work on Elías's property, and officers filed a report after observing "significant earthworks," "the partial demolition of existing buildings," and "an intensive clearing of trees." Later, they also discovered that the work was being carried out without the required municipal permit.

City council sources confirm to ARA that in June 2020, a disciplinary procedure was initiated against Elías, a fine of 1.5 million euros was imposed, and the infraction was reported to the courts. However, Tiana City Council did not appear in the case, which was subsequently investigated by the Prosecutor's Office. The disciplinary procedure is on hold until the case is resolved. As explained The Country, According to the investigation, the land where Elías built his house is included in two special plans: the protection and improvement plan for the Cordillera de la Marina mountain range and the natural environment and landscape plan for Conreria-Sant Mateu-Céllecs. This land would be classified as "non-urbanizable."

According to the magazine ForbesElías has already accumulated a fortune of 950 million euros and is ranked 49th among Spain's richest people on the famous list. With his 65% stake in Audax alone, this already amounts to a net worth of 550 million euros.