La Algaba Mayor Under Scrutiny: Sexual Harassment Allegations Spark Political Crisis and Calls for Accountability

Spain - Ekhbary News Agency

La Algaba Mayor Under Scrutiny: Sexual Harassment Allegations Spark Political Crisis and Calls for Accountability

The municipality of La Algaba, Spain, is embroiled in a significant political and legal scandal following grave accusations of "sexual harassment" and "cyberstalking" lodged against its Socialist mayor, Diego Manuel Agüera. Agüera, who also serves as the local secretary of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), is reportedly attempting to shield his institutional and party positions from these allegations. The situation has intensified with the local government's staunch defense of the mayor, while the opposition Popular Party (PP) vehemently demands transparency, accountability, and threatens further legal and political recourse.

The allegations stem from a complaint filed through the PSOE's internal communication channel, which newspaper EL MUNDO gained access to. The complaint details alleged sexual insinuations and propositions made by Agüera to a minor, a student at the Municipal Bullfighting School. According to the complaint, Agüera allegedly used his position and the Town Hall's resources to discredit the accusations, which his party began processing internally a month after receiving them. Agüera has publicly denied the veracity of the claims, which include sexual insinuations and proposals for a meeting with the minor via social media. He has sought refuge behind the institution he presides over, issuing a statement where the local government defends his innocence and dismisses the accusations as "unfounded."

The official statement from the government team expresses "firm and absolute support" for the mayor, based on a "full conviction in his innocence and his personal and public career." mirroring the mayor's own defense, the Town Hall has cast doubt on the complaint, linking it to alleged revenge over the closure of the local bullfighting school. The statement suggests that while such a closure might "generate discrepancies and discomfort in certain sectors," nothing justifies these differences transforming into "unfounded accusations whose sole effect is the personal and political desgaste of the mayor." This strategy of deflecting blame and questioning motives has been met with skepticism by critics who point to the seriousness of the allegations.

Furthermore, the municipal government has positioned Agüera as a victim, emphasizing the "damage" the alleged sexual harassment complaint is causing him and his family, who are "unjustly exposed to public scrutiny based on an anonymous complaint." The statement highlights the absence of an open judicial procedure, conspicuously omitting the ongoing internal investigation within the PSOE. This omission is particularly striking given that the party's internal body for handling harassment complaints has deemed the reported facts to be of "special gravity," announcing its intention to notify the Public Prosecutor's Office or the courts if the complainant does not do so. Despite this internal party stance, Agüera's team has threatened to "take legal action" to "stop any attempt at defamation."

In response to these developments, the municipal group of the Popular Party has requested an urgent meeting of the Town Hall's board of spokespersons to access all "available information" on the matter. The PP has labeled the accusations against the mayor as "extremely serious" and criticized the use of institutional resources to defend him in a matter "of this magnitude." The Popular Party members have also reserved "all legal actions" and the demand for political accountability, signaling a potential escalation of the conflict.

The complaint accessed by EL MUNDO, received by the PSOE on January 13, explicitly refers to "cyberstalking and sexual harassment" and includes as evidence screenshots of conversations between the mayor and the minor on Instagram. In these messages, the complainant alleges, Agüera "verbalized an explicit sexual desire" conditioned only by the minor's age, of which he was "fully aware." An example cited is: "Oh, if only you were 18!!!" Another message suggests the mayor inquired about the minor's sexual role in homosexual relationships, asking if he was "active or passive," though this question was reportedly deleted by Agüera in an "attempt to conceal evidence." The complainant insists on the existence of witnesses and documentary proof of this message.

The mayor allegedly went beyond messages, proposing a personal meeting – "meet up one party day" – an expression the complainant states "fits the criminal type of proposition for lewd purposes." The complaint emphasizes that Agüera acted from a "position of superiority" as mayor and head of the Bullfighting School, an institution dependent on the Town Hall. This, it argues, created a "situation of submission and vulnerability that vitiates any interaction" for the minor, using the term "child grooming" to describe the mayor's behavior. Agüera has held the mayoral position since 2011 and is the local leader of the Socialist Party, adding layers of institutional and political power to the alleged misconduct. The unfolding events underscore the critical importance of robust internal accountability mechanisms and transparent legal processes in cases involving public officials and vulnerable individuals.

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