The mayor of Teruel for Citizens, Carlos Aranda, has been detained on a sexual abuse complaint. He resigned from his council seat last Sunday, with formal withdrawal from duty occurring on Tuesday morning. A local figure, Emma Buj, had publicly commented after learning the facts, although the decision remained exclusive to the implicated politician.
The Citizens’ Group stated in a formal release that Aranda had chosen to resign from the Teruel City Council and that, while maintaining his innocence, he believed the best way to defend his honor and face the judicial process was to step away from the institution and from municipal life. The group emphasized that stepping aside would also help preserve the integrity of the political body during the investigation.
The arrest followed an incident reported to the National Police by a 20-year-old complainant who said he went to the police station to recount what had occurred after leaving his home. According to reports from the regional press, the complainant and the mayor had previously met in a bar in the capital, exchanged initial words there, and arranged to meet again at another location. It was at that later meeting that cell phones were exchanged. In the early hours, around six in the morning, the young man said he went to the councillor’s residence. He claimed that Aranda touched him in the genital area without his consent.
Authorities subsequently moved to Aranda’s residence to proceed with the arrest. The accused at first claimed that the events in his twenties were not true and withdrew his statements at the scene after the evidence included messages exchanged via WhatsApp between the two parties came to light.
In the ensuing investigation, a Teruel No. 3 Investigative Court judge described the allegations as serious and inconsistent with the defendant’s initial accounts. The judge characterized the presentation given by Aranda as a contradiction that appeared designed to mislead the young man and suggested that the events involved coercion following alcohol consumption, culminating in sexual contact without consent while the complainant was in a vulnerable state. The councilor’s conduct, as alleged, included attempts to contact the complainant by phone after the incident, even while police were present.
As part of precautionary measures, the judge granted release on probation and ordered a restraining order preventing the complainant from approaching within 300 meters and forbidding any form of communication. The order also restrains Aranda from coming near the town of Teruel, where the complainant resides. For the sake of privacy and safety, the involved party’s name is being withheld by local reporting.