Raúl Miranda Responds to Betancuria Mayor's Statement: We Have Denied All Allegations Because We Believe No Crime Was Committed

The mayor of Betancuria, Enrique Cerdeña, and the municipal secretary‑interventor, Elena Puchalt, appeared before the First Instance and Instruction Court No. 3 in Puerto del Rosario on Thursday, 16 April, in a case concerning alleged continuous administrative misconduct, embezzlement of public funds, and workplace harassment. Both officials rejected all accusations, asserting that they have committed no crime.

At the courthouse exit, the mayor and the interventor declined to make any statements, but their defence lawyer, Raúl Miranda, spoke for an hour and a half. He declared:

“We have denied all accusations, all facts, because we understand that no crime of any kind has been committed; there are no infractions, not even administrative ones. Everything has been based on interpretations of the law, and there is no violation.”

Miranda added that he is confident no further investigations will be opened, but warned:

“If the courts decide that investigations are necessary, we will face the trial.”

He insisted that “they have not committed any crime,” including the alleged workplace harassment. Miranda noted that a protocol has been initiated but could not be completed because “the regional government and the Cabildo have not provided the solution they must deliver.”

Investigation background

• Unauthorized payment: The probe focuses on a €53,391 payment ordered by Cerdeña in August 2024 without approval from the municipal council. The prosecutor argues that the payment was listed among minor contracts despite exceeding the legal €40,000 limit for works.
• Outsourced legal advice: The complaint also highlights the hiring of external firms to perform “legally non‑delegable public functions of municipal legal counsel,” even though the town hall already employs a qualified official with the requisite capacity and experience.
• Exclusion of the internal official: The same official has repeatedly been excluded from procurement committees. The prosecutor describes a series of actions as “humiliating” and “hostile,” citing “professional non‑communication” and “physical isolation.”

Miranda’s statements come at a time of political weakness for Betancuria’s governing group, which fell into minority status after the first deputy mayor, Esperanza González Méndez, resigned from her portfolio.