The president of the Chamber of Commerce of Alicante is arrested for the management of some consumer vouchers from the Diputación

ValenciaThe president of the Alicante Chamber of Commerce, Carlos Baño, was arrested this Friday morning by the National Police, according to sources close to the investigation who spoke to ARA. According to the Efe agency, the arrest was reportedly due to an alleged corruption offense related to the management of consumer vouchers in about twenty municipalities in the province during the years 2022 and 2023.

The consumer voucher campaign was promoted by the Diputació d'Alacant during the period when he would later become president of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, to boost family spending and encourage local trade activity following the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. The investigation seeks to clarify whether there was possible fraud in the management of these public funds.

Despite his position at the Alicante Chamber of Commerce, Baño was arrested due to his role as president of the Alicante Federation of Commerce (Facpyme). In parallel with the arrest, and in coordination with the Alicante Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, agents from the money laundering group of the Economic and Fiscal Crime unit have carried out several searches at the headquarters of the entities that managed the consumer vouchers, including Facpyme.

The campaign involved an expenditure of 58 million euros by the Diputació d'Alacant between 2022 and 2024. The initiative subsidized 50% of purchases by consumers in participating establishments, with the remaining amount paid by the customer. The investigation aims to determine if the Alicante Federation of Commerce benefited financially by executing the campaigns through an instrumental company.

At present, neither the National Police nor the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office have provided further details about the operation, as it has been declared secret.