After building a trusting relationship with an elderly British man for years, a man and his partner were arrested in Rojales for allegedly defrauding him of 86,000 euros. The man was the mayor Antonio Pérez’s personal representative in the municipality’s urbanisations, including Ciudad Quesada, one of the biggest in the province.
This kind of appointment is similar to the local mayor of the villages that are isolated from the town centre. There is a lot of residential tourism in the town, and the majority of the residents are foreign and elderly, who, like the victim, require reliable advisors to help them with the administrative processes.
The mayor named Matthew Joseph Smith, who is currently in custody, as his representative shortly after the September 2023 municipal elections, but he was fired on 26th January, 2024, four months later.
Even though the City Council has an interpreter, Smith has nevertheless continued to work with them, mainly by offering translation services at meetings with Ciudad Quesada residents that he attended with the mayor. Additionally, he used his social media accounts to disseminate announcements and other City Council-related content until recently.
Even though the details have only lately surfaced, all of this persisted until his arrest in March of last year. Following that, Pérez admits that, at least until the matter is settled, he has no further ties to the local government.
Smith was listed as number 11 on the PSOE lists, which the socialists used to run in the 28th May, 2023, municipal elections. On June 17, the PSOE presided over the formation of the new Corporation.
In order to execute a productivity regulation for municipal employees, the candidate at the time advocated for better systems of cooperation and communication between the various departments. His recommendations also concentrated on streamlining the contracting committees, increasing adherence to the annual employment plan, and supplying sufficient staff and equipment for various municipal districts. A road maintenance facility, more security cameras, better road signage and markings, and civic awareness programmes about the preservation and safeguarding of Rojales’ historical legacy were also included.
The PP municipal group said that it will seek explanations from its management during this month’s regular plenary session today, Thursday, 21st May.
Examination
The investigation was started earlier this year by the Guardia Civil in response to a British citizen’s accusation that his bank accounts had been emptied following the death of a relative.
The investigators’ first investigations suggested that those close to the victim might have been involved. As the investigation went on, it was found that the alleged offenders were a 42- and 41-year-old couple who had long resided in Rojales.
In addition, they operated a consulting for foreigners in the municipality. They built a trusting relationship with the victim, an elderly man with health issues, in this way. They offered to assist him in his day-to-day activities, taking advantage of his frailty and lack of family in Spain. This allowed them to progressively obtain access to his financial accounts.
The inmates are accused of carrying out many financial activities between 2019 and 2022, including cash withdrawals from ATMs, payments at businesses, and transfers to their own accounts. Some of these withdrawals took place even after the victim had passed away or was in the hospital.
The Guardia Civil was able to rebuild the money path and verify the scam by analysing bank documents and contacting other organisations. Additionally, it was found that Smith had a history of similar offences.
Following their detention, the pair were hauled before the Court of First Instance of Torrevieja’s Instruction Section, which issued an order for their release with precautions.
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