Antoni Femenías, former PP councillor in Selva, has appeared before the judge regarding the sale to the Town Hall of land in es Tersal de Caimari, paid for at four times the first offer. The Prosecutor's Office sees indications of prevarication, fraud, embezzlement, and influence peddling.
The former PP councillor in Selva, Antoni Femenías, has given testimony before the investigating judge in the case looking into the purchase and sale of municipal land in the es Tersal area of Caimari. The operation, concluded in 2020, has raised eyebrows because the Town Hall paid four times more than the value of the initial public offer, which went unawarded.
Facts Under Judicial Scrutiny
The sale dates back to an initial attempt in 2016 when the Council put the acquisition of the land out to tender without success. Years later, in 2020, the operation was resumed, and a much higher price was ultimately paid. Femenías' family was partially the owner of the land, which has raised concerns about a possible conflict of interest.
The Prosecutor's Office filed a lawsuit for alleged crimes of prevarication, fraud against the Administration, embezzlement, and influence peddling. According to the Public Ministry, there are indications that the transaction was carried out without the necessary transparency and at an inflated price. The judge has summoned both Femenías and the mayor, Joan Rotger, although the latter has yet to appear.
A Municipality with Episodes of Opacity
Selva, a small town in the Raiguer region, has a history of opacity in its local politics. The sale of es Tersal is just the latest chapter in a series of decisions that have generated distrust among residents. The Town Hall defends that the land will be used for an ethnological centre and that it was already being used as parking and access to the school, but the opposition and the Prosecutor's Office believe that the procedure was not correct.
The former councillor, in his statement, maintained that all councils, regardless of their political affiliation, had shown interest in the land. He also claimed that the operation has favourable technical reports from the Consell de Mallorca and the Town Hall itself. However, these arguments have not dispelled the suspicions.
A Weighty Precedent
This is not the first time Femenías has been involved in an urban planning controversy. In 2019, he made headlines for the purchase of land in the same area, although there were no judicial consequences at that time. Now, with the Prosecutor's lawsuit, the case has taken on greater seriousness.
The judicial investigation focuses on whether there was preferential treatment towards the Femenías family and whether the price paid matched the real market value. Municipal technicians valued the land at a figure much lower than what was ultimately paid, leading the Prosecutor's Office to request detailed explanations about the negotiation process.
The mayor, Joan Rotger, has not yet been called to testify, but it is expected that he will do so in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the case continues in the courts of Inca, and the residents of Selva are closely watching how events unfold. Transparency in public management is once again at the heart of the debate.
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