Ripoll’s mayor, Sílvia Orriols, faces mounting pressure after the urgent appointment of her eldest daughter as an interim local police officer prompted calls for a full independent audit. The PSC group has formally asked an external team to review the entire recruitment process, citing unresolved questions about transparency and the mayor’s direct role in the selection.
The controversy centers on a rapid procedure launched by the municipal government on June 11. Applicants had 12 days to apply for a police vacancy that had remained unfilled for months. They had to be of legal age and hold a high school diploma, with an intermediate level of Catalan and a driving licence also required. Police experience was optional but could be considered. The process was designated urgent and conducted through direct selection, prompting opposition parties to question the competition’s fairness and openness.
PSC councillors say their concerns are not about the candidates themselves. They argue that the circumstances, particularly the selection of a close family member of the mayor, demand maximum transparency. They have called for an external audit to determine whether all legal requirements were strictly observed, including the mayor’s obligation to abstain from involvement. The audit should have access to all documentation, and its conclusions must be made public, the PSC said in its formal submission.
The PSC wants the audit to examine why the urgent call was made and how narrowly the process was defined. It also wants scrutiny of the evaluation criteria and scores, along with the local police’s staffing levels and the selection panel’s composition. The current head of the municipal police, Francesc Campayo, was not among the tribunal’s three members. That has added to the controversy because of his ongoing dispute with the mayor’s office over a separate disciplinary matter.
Calls for accountability have grown since Junts representative Ferran Raigon urged Orriols to delegate her security responsibilities to another councillor, arguing that this would avoid a conflict of interest. The PSC’s move has brought basic opposition forces together in calling for a thorough review. In a report by Vicenç Pagès in El Nacional, Orriols defended the selection panel’s composition, saying it had not been chosen at random and that there was no intention to benefit any candidate. Previous coverage has highlighted the ethical debate surrounding the mayor’s decision. For further background on the initial backlash and the broader political context, see this detailed report on the controversy surrounding the mayor’s appointment of her daughter.
In a later interview with La Vanguardia, Orriols rejected allegations of irregularities, saying, “They can say whatever they want” and that “the irregularities do not exist.” She said the allegations had been rejected by the municipal legal services and Aliança Catalana’s legal advisers. Orriols also challenged the independence of the opposition’s report, saying its author had been on Junts’s payroll for 19 years. Her remarks set out her defense of the appointment. The PSC’s audit request, by contrast, calls for an external review of the process and publication of its findings.
In Spain, public-sector hiring is governed by legal frameworks intended to prevent conflicts of interest and ensure equal access. Municipalities must document every stage of recruitment, and departures from standard procedures, especially in urgent or direct appointments, can prompt political and legal scrutiny. The outcome of the audit in Ripoll could set a precedent for similar cases in other towns, particularly where family ties intersect with public office. The case also reflects ongoing tensions in Catalan local politics, where transparency and governance remain highly sensitive issues.
