Parliament Speaker resigns

The scandal is the Balearic branch of the “Gürtel” case which has emerged as a nationwide corruption investigation involving millions of euros worth of misappropriated public funds.

The judge in Palma, José Castro said that when Rotger was Mayor of Inca, he reportedly contracted the Over Marketing promotion company through irregular means.

Rotger broke the news to the rest of Parliament yesterday at plenary session following the insistence by Socialist Opposition parties that the President should resign after the judge's statement that he remain implicated in the case.

This is the second occasion on which a President of the Balearic Parliament has had to resign over alleged corruption. The previous occasion was in February 2010 when Maria Antonia Munar of the now defunct Unió Mallorquina party handed in her resignation after accusations were made against her by ex Tourism Minister Miquel Nadal as part of the “Maquillaje” corruption scandal. “No connection” Meanwhile, the defence lawyer acting for Pere Rotger has requested that accusations against his client be dropped on the grounds that Rotger's connection with Over Marketing during the time that he was Mayor of Inca had nothing to do with the present scandal under investigation.

On 29th November, a written request had been made to the court in Palma asking that Rotger's connection with Over Marketing be deleted as incriminating evidence, claiming that the now former Balearic President had “done no wrong.” However, the Anti-corruption Prosecutor didn't agree and finally overruled claims by the defence lawyer. The judge's decision to keep Rotger as a party implicated in the corruption scandal also comes in the wake of a court declaration by another former Mayor of Inca, Rafael Torres who said that the contracting of Over Marketing had taken place during the term of office of Pere Rotger who had been Mayor prior to Torres. Torres has since been released from suspicion.

Reportedly, Rotger had hired Over Marketing to carry out some surveys on the quality of life in the municipality of Inca, a project which would appear to have been carried out very ably as the company was eventually paid 20'300 euros for its pains.

Guardia Civil report
In fact a Guardia Civil summary report on the Over Marketing case said that “there was a great deal to be answered” because the contract with Inca town council was initially registered as a “minor” one but suspicions were roused when the amount payable rose to over 20'000 euros.

The Guardia Civil said that the Over Marketing case appeared to be one where although there had been several companies vying for the same work, the firm which was eventually successful had been given more recommendations and credit than were appropriate, or even true.

The report said that considering Inca town council is only a medium-sized municipal authority with a limited budget, “it would be difficult to prove that the then Mayor, Pere Rotger didn't know what was behind the contracting of Over Marketing.” The Guardia Civil also pointed out that Rotger didn't oppose what would appear to be an excessive bill for the survey work; however, neither did the Deputy Mayor of the time Rafael Torres, nor the municipal treasurer or legal advisor. Rotger meanwhile, in reference to Torres, insists that he was not alone in the appointment of Over Marketing.