The former leader of the PSC in L'Hospitalet accepts 9 months in prison for corruption

BarcelonaThe former PSC councillors in Hospitalet de Llobregat, Cristian Alcázar and Cris Plaza, have accepted a nine-month prison sentence for the crimes of misappropriation and against Social Security. Both Alcázar, who was deputy mayor and also leader of the PSC in the city, and Plaza were to sit in the dock this Tuesday in the Barcelona Court for the case of the fraudulent liquidation of the salary that the latter received when he left the position he occupied in the Consell Esportiu. Finally, they have reached an agreement with the Public Prosecutor's Office - which requested four and a half years in prison for both - and with the popular accusation exercised by the commons, which demanded six years and added the crime of embezzlement.

In order to achieve the court's agreement, the public prosecutor and the commons have applied to the two accused the mitigating circumstance of repairing the damage, since they have backed the 47,147 euros of compensation that they were claimed for having simulated the irregular dismissal of Plaza for more than 6,486.96 euros. The agreement also suspends for a period of two years the nine-month prison sentences that both have accepted, therefore they will not have to enter a penitentiary center.

Five years ago the case of alleged corruption of the Consell Esportiu de L'Hospitalet de Llobregat shook the local federation of the PSC and the City Council of the city, where the socialists have governed for more than forty years. The main case, which investigates the alleged misappropriation of public funds through this entity, is stuck in the investigating court number 2 of L'Hospitalet, so Tuesday's case was the first piece of the plot to reach trial.

Party worker

Both Alcázar and Plaza were suspended from membership when the trial was opened against them, as stipulated in the PSC statutes in cases of alleged corruption. Although he resisted resigning for months Claiming his innocence, when Alcázar finally left his political posts following the judicial scandal he returned to work for the PSC – where he had a position as an employee before becoming a councillor – as confirmed by the ARA. The party justifies having kept him on staff out of respect for the presumption of innocence.

It remains to be seen how the party acts now that Alcázar has accepted the conviction and, therefore, admitted corruption. The PSC code of ethics states that in the event of a conviction he must be expelled as a member, but does not specify what happens if he also works for the party. In response to questions from the ARA, official sources from Pallars Street explained before the trial that, before being a councillor, Alcázar had already worked for the PSC and that he returned to his position once he left political posts. They also claimed that the training of the former socialist leader, a graduate in communications, corresponds to the tasks that the party now carries out, supporting the organization of events.

Fraudulent compensation

What crimes have the two defendants admitted to? The events date back to 2016, when Plaza was technical secretary of the Consell Esportiu, a position equivalent to that of director. He had been working there since 2001. According to the accusations, when he wanted to leave the Consell Esportiu to jump into institutional politics in L'Hospitalet, he and Alcázar simulated a fraudulent dismissal so that Plaza could receive compensation. He thus received 47,147.62 euros. The reality, according to the Prosecutor's Office and the Commons, was that it was an agreed exit, for which he would not have had to receive any compensation. Alcázar, Councillor for Sports and political head of the Consell Esportiu, manoeuvred to make it possible: in the dismissal letter, which he signed himself, reference was made to alleged "economic and organisational" reasons for firing him, a situation that does give the right to receive compensation.

For the sake of appearances, Plaza's replacement was never presented as a dismissal: he was given four farewell ceremonies and some gifts, such as an iPad and a cheque for 300 euros in sports equipment. The proof that the entity was not experiencing financial difficulties at that time is that shortly afterwards, with the appointment of Plaza's replacement, Eduard Galí, salaries were raised. Sources from Alcázar's defence consulted by the ARA denied the accusations' version before the trial and maintained that the dismissal was not simulated, but that Alcázar had considered that Galí, who was already an employee of the Consell before, could take charge of the management alone. "No administrative or criminal malpractice was committed," they assured.

Unlike the Prosecution, the accusation of the commons considered that the 47,147.62 euros came from a subsidy from the City Council that was given ad hoc Alcázar, former right-hand man of Núria Marín, was also first secretary of the PSC when the events occurred and had great influence over the membership. He resigned from his post, which left the party in the hands of a management committee and opened a succession dispute within the federation, divided between supporters and detractors of the then mayor of L'Hospitalet. The whistleblower in the Consell Esportiu case, the then deputy mayor, was the one who reported the case to the PSC. Jaume Graells also left the party, denouncing pressures and negligence within the City Council to clarify the alleged irregularities in the entity's accounts. He is now the leader of ERC in Hospitalet. For her part, Marín –now Government delegate in Madrid– was investigated in the main plot of the Consell Esportiu, but the judge ended up archiving the case against her.