PALMA
THE former conservative Partido Popular President of the Balearics and ex-Spanish Minister for the Environment, yesterday managed to meet bail which had been set at three million euros and avoided being held on remand in Palma prison.
Balearic High Court sources in Palma said that the money was paid in cash and now Matas will have to report in person to the courts twice per month.
His passport has also been confiscated and the former President has been banned from leaving Spain by Judge Castro who is handling the hearings in relation to an investigation by the anti-fraud prosecution into the alleged corrupt construction of the Palma Arena velodrome during Matas's previous legislature between 2003 and 2007. Despite having met bail at 10am yesterday morning, the deadline had been set for midnight last night.
Matas's legal representative has lodged a series of appeals. One is against the high figure of bail and the confiscation of his passport - Matas has been living and working in the United States since losing the elections in 2007.
The other appeals are against the unexpected submission of phone taps as evidence by the prosecution and leaks from the behind-closed-door hearings to the media.
Judge Castro is understood to be studying all of the appeals.
Yesterday, the spokesperson for the Partido Popular on the Council of Majorca, Jaume Font admitted that he is worried about the situation surrounding Matas and, at the same time, admitted that the Balearic population has grounds to be angry over all the numerous alleged political corruption cases currently being investigated.
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