Bartolomé Cursach, who was recently released on bail of one million euros.

Bartolomé Cursach, who was recently released on bail of one million euros. | Miquel À. Cañellas

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma26/04/2018 00:00
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Miquel Florit, the judge now in charge of instructing the case of police corruption, has divided the "macro" case into two, and these revolve around the two main businesspeople under investigation: Bartolomé Cursach and Miguel Pascual. While Cursach is well-known for his nightlife businesses, Pascual is perhaps a less familiar name: his company is a major shareholder in Pabisa Hotels.

The judge took over from Manuel Penalva, who was removed because of question marks over his impartiality. Florit had maintained the same line as Penalva in structuring the case until a Provincial Court ruling challenged this. The investigations have been going on for four years, and the judge now intends to have two large-scale trials plus others of lesser weight.

In the case of Cursach, 24 people are under investigation in relation to favours shown by various officers in the Palma and Calvia police forces and by town hall officials. It is the most advanced of the investigations and one for which the prosecution is seeking a sentence of six years for Cursach.

The other case has 16 people under investigation. As well as Pascual, these include the former president of the Partido Popular in Palma, José María Rodríguez, and the one-time PP deputy mayor of Palma, Álvaro Gijón. Central to the case are favours shown to Pascual businesses by police and politicians.

There are other investigations into Palma and Calvia police and Cursach, and these include charges of tax fraud, extortion, money laundering and abuse of worker rights.