The morning in Almería began with high-profile arrests as officers from the Central Operational Unit of the Guardia Civil carried out a raid targeting senior local government officials. Among those detained were the president of the provincial administration, Javier Aureliano García, his deputy Fernando Giménez, and the mayor of Fines, Rodrigo Sánchez. All hold key positions in the regional branch of the Partido Popular.
The investigation is connected to the so-called ‘mask case’—a probe led by the First Court of Almería. Authorities are focusing on suspicions of illicit commissions obtained through contracts for medical supplies at the height of the pandemic. According to investigators, these deals may have involved substantial sums diverted for the personal gain of individual officials.
During this morning’s searches, law enforcement visited not only the offices but also the private residences of those involved. The operation came as a surprise to many, especially since Javier Aureliano García had recently been elected to the leadership of the regional party division and was considered the successor to influential politician Gabriel Amat, who has steered the political course of eastern Andalusia for many years.
The scandal over medical supply procurement during the pandemic has rocked Spanish regions before, but this time several key provincial officials have come under fire. Investigators do not rule out that the list of suspects may grow, and new details could soon be made public.
