Between 2001 and 2006 in the municipality of Catral, more than a thousand homes went up illegally. Twenty years later, the former mayor, a socialist, Jose Manuel Rodriguez Leal, faced the Court over alleged urban excesses. The prosecution sought one year and six months in prison and an additional ten years of disqualification for an ongoing charge of administrative denial. As a result, Valencian authorities withdrew Urban Planning powers from the City Council. Rodriguez Leal is now out of politics after losing the next election amid the controversy.
All signs indicated the case could be settled, given that penalties might be reduced due to the elapsed time and evident delays accumulating in the legal process. Yet Rodriguez Leal rejected any deal and pleaded not guilty to all charges. The hearing, which began this week in the Court’s Eleventh Chamber, moved to Elche, where the former councilor claimed the matter was political in nature. He argued that while the City Council was led by Socialists, the Generalitat was controlled by the People’s Party.
The former mayor acknowledged the existence of a large number of illegal dwellings but insisted that it reflected a lack of opportunities and a City Council overwhelmed by tasks. He warned the Generalitat about the situation and claimed that sanctions were initiated against criminals by the enforcing agency, which he said had only a secretary, an architect, and ten police officers on the file.
rustic flooring
Rodriguez Leal noted that Catral is not the only municipality facing illegal housing. He cited other towns experiencing similar growth pressures across Vega Baja and beyond, during a period of rapid expansion. According to the prosecutors, between 2001 and 2006 the City Council knowingly allowed the construction of more than 1,000 non-agricultural homes on rustic undeveloped land, alleging a lack of agricultural activity. In this framing, chalets were built under licenses that allowed fences or simple shelters rather than proper development.
The Public Ministry is examining whether there was a lack of will to restore urban legality. In some cases licenses were conditional on subsequent approval by the Generalitat or triggered disciplinary proceedings, resulting in fines. The indictment reported by this newspaper suggests that the mayor did not issue orders to halt works, did not warn builders, and did not advocate demolitions when needed.
The Valencia Institute of Cartography identified a total of 1,124 houses on undeveloped land in a town with a population around five thousand. On October 3, 2006, the Generalitat fully assumed competence in urban discipline, suspending urban powers. After that, 292 houses moved to open cases in the Conselleria and another 462 were in the process of starting.
The consumer association, which filed criminal complaints against both the City Council and the Generalitat, remains part of the case as an accuser. The hearing is set to resume on November 9 with statements from deputies and from the Nature Conservation Service (Seprona) of the Civil Guards, who will testify about investigations into urban illegalities. A verdict and potential punishment were anticipated for November 16.