The director general for tourism, Pilar Carbonell, yesterday resigned from her post after having been officially named in the Cursach investigation.
She received a summons to appear in a Palma court on 29 November at 2.30pm and less than half an hour later, the government announced on its website that the minister for tourism, vice-president, Biel Barceló, has accepted her decision to step down as of immediate effect.
Allegations that she showed favour to the Cursach Group in speeding up procedures related to work at MegaPark in Arenal surfaced months ago but she adamantly denied the claims. A report from the National Police suggested that she acted in a way that benefited the interests of the Cursach Group.
Podemos have wanted her to resign, while David Abril, one of two parliamentary spokespeople for Més, says that he will be “the first to leave” the party if there were to be proof of favourable treatment having been given to the Cursach Group. Carbonell, who refutes having shown the Cursach Group (specifically in her dealings with Tolo Sbert) any favour, has said that she would leave it up to the tourism minister Biel Barceló to decide whether she stays or goes.
Barceló had given her his support but the summons changed her situation in government.
However, in a statement, the minister praised and thanked Carbonell for all the great work she has done in her post and he expressed his full confidence that the investigation will serve to prove her innocence.
The Ministry for Tourism added that as the rumours and claims first surfaced, a full internal investigation was carried out and that no evidence of any wrong doing was found.
However, as Carbonell was summoned yesterday, so too was Tolo Cursach and his former director general, Bartlome Sbert. They will appear in court on 27 November.
The former head of the Cala Millor Hotel Federation, Sant Llorenc Councillor for Tourism and Island Councillor for Tourism, Antoni Sanso, who also has a great deal of experience in the world of tourism, has been named as her successor.
Politics
Director General of Tourism resigns over Cursach claims
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4 comments
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It's Mallorca,it's politics,enough said!
Just like football managers,as soon as the directors express full confidence in your abilities you're done for and out of the door! Can we hope that Biel and the sorry "Mes" will also bite the dust soon?
Get them all out and try and find some with an once of common sense !!
They should all resign for the good they're doing for tourism. Just had a slow drive around Palma Nova trying to avoid the pot-holes, sunken tarmac areas and bad manhole cover levels. Along with the speed bumps, we'll need tractors to drive around the town in soon. Let's have some tourist tax money spent here please, - and get some damn push-buttons on crossings while you're at it, before's any more people are run down.