Five former beneficiaries of a Alicante NGO face fraud accusations
Five defendants connected to the NGO Plaes Asistencial in Alicante have declared their innocence this Tuesday, including the former president. Prosecutors allege a fraud of about 120,000 euros through the alleged illegal sale of food baskets that were provided free of charge to distribute to those in need. The individuals stand trial in the Third Section of the Alicante Provincial Court, facing prison terms ranging from 27 months to four years. Both the Prosecutor’s Office and the State Attorney accuse them of forging documents to pretend there were more beneficiaries and to extend the quantity of food involved.
The accused were arrested in 2019 after a police complaint. The control unit of the Spanish Agricultural Guarantee Fund (FEGA), attached to the Ministry of Agriculture and responsible for the food distribution program for vulnerable groups, detected irregularities connected to the program.
The defendant, who served as the NGO president, denies selling the food received from distribution events between 2018 and 2019. He only admitted, under questioning by the prosecutor, that staff who volunteered to help with the distribution occasionally received food donated by private companies for the NGO.
Facilities linked to the NGO were located in Alicante, Mutxamel, Elche, and Torrevieja, with about 1,100 people benefiting from the free meals aimed at those in need. The defendant denied including families from other associations on the beneficiary list to obtain additional food.
Duplicate beneficiaries and distribution records
The accused acknowledged the possibility of duplicate beneficiaries in the lists but attributed this to the distribution process not initially running in a computerized system. He rejected claims that records were forged or that food was sold, noting that each beneficiary signed a form at the time of delivery. Batches were priced at between two and five euros.
He also explained that the NGO receives funds from members and organizes food raffles every two months to cover electricity, water, and labor costs. Ticket sales supported the raffle, and in early 2018 the defendant says he traveled to Italy. He handed over the NGO’s coordination to his mother and nephew, who are also on trial.
The main defendant maintains there were no irregularities and attributes the complaints to a miscalculation in distributed lots.