(Province of Sevilla) The ex-Mayor of Puebla del Rio spent 6,098 euros on his official mobile phone, on calls to a woman, in just one year.

This socialist politician was originally sentenced to a 3-year prison sentence and six years barred from public office, but an appeal before the Regional Supreme Court had the sentence reduced to 18 months and only three years barred from office. The reason for this leniency – they applied the attenuating circumstance of ‘dilation of the judicial process,’ or in other words, the judicial system had taken too long .

The Supreme Court also reduced the sentence of the ex-councillor, Juan Carlos Benitez for falsifying the mobile-phone bill when the opposition asked to see it, in order to cover up the affair.

The Supreme Court considers that the ‘mere exaggerated frequency of the calls to just one person is a powerful indicator of private use of the same.’

[mappress]

(News: Puebla del Rio, Sevilla, Andalucia)