Great news for Benny, who will not have to face the judge for a pending case until 2011, rather than this summer. This is due to the Motril criminal courts being snowed under.

As the case that has been postponed is probably the worse one he is scheduled to face, it terms of consequences if he is found guilty, this must come as a welcome respite. He stands accused of fraudulent bankruptcy; i.e., having declared that he possessed nothing but a moped when he stood a chance of having to pay a huge sum of money in a civil case.

Ironically, he was later acquitted and thus avoided having to pay the said sum – out of the frying pan into the fire…
If found guilty, he faces 30 months in prison ad a 27,000-euro fine. And he does no face this charge alone, because the Mayor’s wife, together with close political colleague, Rafael Contreras and his wife also stand accused.
According to the Public Prosecutor, both couples mutually agreed to begin legal proceedings in July 2005 ‘with the aim of eluding civil responsibilities.’ The Mayor and Rafael Contreras, along with five other people connected with Tropical Fruits, had previously been sentenced to reimburse the municipal coffers with 3.4m euros between them.

The Public Prosecutor refers to both couples having filed for legal separation, including maintenance for their offspring, despite both being adults and completely emancipated. Thus Rafael Contreras ‘agreed to pay’ 1,000 euros to his two offspring and Juan Carlos Benavides 2,300 euros (1,150 each). Then in December 2005 the lawyers of both ex-wives requested a suspension of maintenance payments, on the very same day.

So, that is the gist of it, and as you can judge for yourselves, the Mayor will have a tough time dodging this one… when it finally comes up before the judge.