The Policía Local in Málaga are investigating the publicly owned tow-truck & vehicle-pound company, Smassa.

A lorry belonging to the Sociedad Municipal de Aparcamientos y Servicios, loaded with motorbikes and parts was about to set off for Poland when discovered.

This latest investigation (which is not the first into Smassa) was launched on the 5th of December, just as the long bank holiday was beginning, which was when the Municipal Traffic Department got wind of the lorry loaded with vehicles and spare parts that should not have left the vehicle pound in the Barrio Los Asperones..

The Policía Local; some one dozen officers, were given the order to search the articulated lorry. They were checking amongst other things to make sure that the bikes had been ‘decontaminated;’ i.e., drained of oil, brake fluid, etc, tyres and plastic bodywork removed, so that they could be scrapped.

They had their task cut out for them because onboard were around 500 items including complete bikes and spare pieces. Having carried out a preliminary search they sealed the trailer and had it taken to the station courtyard for a more thorough search the following day.

By law, each part of a decomissioned vehicle must have its own certificate so that it can be officially sold as a 2nd-hand spare part, otherwise the vehicles can be canibalised to make up a complete vehicle to be sold on the black market.

Many bikes on the lorry were merely unassembled into two parts, with some of them still even with their batteries installed.

The Sociedad Municipal de Aparcamientos y Servicios is already under investigation (El Caso Smassa) over building irregularities in the Pío Baroja Car Park. The Technical Head of Smassa had said that she had be pressured to sign certificates against her will, which led to the resignation of the Head of Public Works, Alejandro Donaire and the sacking of the car-park manager, Manuel Díaz.

(News: City & Metropolitan Area, Costa de Sol, Malaga, Andalucia)

Keywords: Corruption, Public Entity, Municipal Vehicle Pound, Illegal Cargo, Destination Poland

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