The former socialist mayor of Bigastro, Jose Joaquin Moya, has already begun serving a four-year sentence after Murcia authorities concluded a case involving the sale of municipal land and the use of public funds. He remains under the jurisdiction of the City Council for a remaining portion of 70,440 euros tied to the matter.
The ex-councilor was moved to Murcia II prison after voluntarily reporting to serve his sentence on the 31st. The site also notes that facilities for inmates eligible for reintegration or those who might serve sentences under an open regime were not fulfilled in this instance.
Murcia II has a capacity for about 1,000 inmates and sits within the city limits near River Fields. Within its grounds lies the former residence of the mayor. The nearby Font Calent area is approximately 60 kilometers away, around a 45-minute drive, while Villena lies about 104 kilometers away, a little more than an hour by car from Bigastro.
The former mayor, classified in the second class for the time being, will be reclassified in the coming months and can appeal the decision if he disagrees with it.
At 74 years old, Moya has, for these events, benefited from a reduction in the charge of embezzlement, for which he had initially been sentenced to 4.5 years. The reduction was granted under a decision issued within six months, according to authorities.
More accounts with Justice
But this is not the sole chapter concerning the public figure. He is known in the Vega Baja region as a controversial figure who commanded influence within the PSOE during the 1980s and 1990s.
Since his arrest in late October 2008, Moya has faced a lengthy list of penalties, including disqualification totaling more than 20 years for evasive acts. He has accumulated four prison terms amounting to nearly 16 years overall. The embezzlement charge, which currently places him in custody, and three consecutive sentences were handed down by the court earlier this year.
Projections show a potential sentence of four and a half years for the seizure of 127,000 euros in relation to the sale of public lands in sector D12, a case still open to challenge at the Supreme Court. An additional four years and six months may be imposed for embezzlement, plus another four years for disqualification due to administrative evasion, connected to the same D12 urban development case; the court noted a guarantee of 312,000 euros tied to the project owner to secure a 10% stake of land in the sector, plus a separate 1.5 million euros commitment connected to the same matter.
Additional sentences and ongoing questions
Following an agreement with the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, Moya accepted a further sentence of two years and three months in prison for embezzlement of public funds. This fourth sentence, handed down in mid-January, aligned with a 27-month amount requested by the Prosecutor’s Office in the earlier stage of the case.
Fifteen years after the so-called “Bigastro case” first surfaced, related proceedings are expected to proceed, with prosecutors seeking additional prison terms. The cases include allegations surrounding the gifting of a high-end car by local businessmen in exchange for favors and accusations of illicit payments by Social Security to more than 40 residents through municipal arrangements, claims that still require full judicial resolution. In every instance, the legal process continues to unfold in courts, as the state pursues accountability for public officials.