A new scandal has erupted in the political scene of Murcia involving the use of public funds. The focus is on the company Sistemas Informáticos Carthago, which, according to the opposition, has received more than 160,000 euros from the local branch of the Socialist Party (PSOE) over the past four years. This firm is closely linked to the online portal lasnoticiasrm.com, known for its criticism of the regional government led by Fernando López Miras.
According to data published by opponents, in 2024 alone the company earned over 45,000 euros by providing digital services to the Socialists. However, representatives of the ruling party claim this is not just technical support, but rather a targeted information campaign against the current authorities. Over four years, the total value of the contracts, by their calculations, exceeded 160,000 euros, and all payments were made under the guise of communication and social media work expenses.
Particular attention was drawn to the fact that the head of the company, according to law enforcement, is also the owner of the website, which publishes content almost daily targeting the regional government. Furthermore, it was revealed that this individual is a member of PSOE and has previously held leadership positions in the party.
The opposition claims that in this way, the socialists used funds allocated for parliamentary activities to finance a resource engaged in an information war against their political opponents. As an additional argument, they point out that from late 2021 to May 2023, when Francisco Lucas headed the socialist parliamentary faction, it was he who signed the documents authorizing these payments. During this period, the company received about 60,000 euros.
According to representatives of the ruling party, this amounts to a flagrant violation of transparency principles and potential misuse of public funds. They are demanding immediate explanations from the socialist leadership and the return of all money spent for these purposes. It is also emphasized that the website receiving the funding has no real editorial structure and publishes almost no content unrelated to criticism of the current authorities.
The question of whether the funds were actually spent on legitimate services or whether this is covert financing of political struggle remains open. A response from the PSOE leadership is expected soon, but so far, there have been no official comments. The scandal is escalating, and it appears poised to become one of the main topics of discussion in the region in the coming weeks.
