Five Carboneras councilors accused of electoral fraud

The ex mayor and current mayor's lieutenant of Carboneras Francisco Ruiz Aguado (PSOE)(Socialist Party), Rosario Fernandez (PSOE), the councilor for tourism Josefa Cruz (PSOE), ex-councilor Josefa Ruiz and Juan Cruz have all been accused of fraud in the postal voting for the 2007 municipal elections.

The judge in this case has called Ruiz Aguado to give evidence as he was allegedly seen by a local baker throwing a bag containing documentation concerning the postal votes of 40 residents among which were the voting slips of all the parties except the PSOE. The others will be called to give evidence at the beginning of October after their accusation as a result of the declarations of about thirty witnesses alleging coercion or promises to residents in return for postal votes in favour of the PSOE.

Francisco Ruiz Aguado became mayor of Carboneras in November 2006 after Cristobal Fernandez (PSOE) resigned the post as aresult of being condemned to six months disqualifiaction from any political post for the electoral crime of coercion of a municipal employee in the postal voting, commited in 1999.