The Public Prosecutor's Office of Tarragona has opened preliminary proceedings to clarify if an alleged crime of administrative malfeasance could have been committed in the granting of the municipal license to the Family Parc commercial complex, in Campclar. The opening of this investigation was agreed upon last March 3 and the procedure has an initial period of half a year.
The case is led by the prosecutor specialized in crimes against Public Administration and focuses on the license granted by the Ajuntament de Tarragona for this commercial complex. The analysis focuses on whether there was any irregular action when authorizing the project despite its location.
The investigation focuses on the municipal license
The element that the Prosecutor's Office is now examining is the relationship between Family Parc and BIC's area of influence. Approximately 50% of the complex is located within that zone, and a part of the shopping center was also built in a chemical safety protection area contemplated by the Seveso directive.
BIC's facilities are classified as lower-tier Seveso. In that enclosure there are large gas tanks intended for the manufacture of lighters and, according to the analyzed documentation, there are deposits with 25 tons of gas.
A first procedure was archived
The origin of the case dates back to the complaint filed last year by BIC before the Prosecutor's Office for an alleged crime against the environment. The company maintained that Family Parc is located within the protection area of its chemical plant.
The Environmental Prosecutor studied that complaint and concluded that she did not perceive a crime against the environment, so that procedure was closed. Even so, that same assessment left open the possibility of pursuing another distinct criminal avenue, in this case for a possible administrative malfeasance linked to the license.
It is being reviewed if the authorization was adjusted to law
The new investigation does not now enter into a supposed environmental impact, but into the administrative decision that allowed the implementation of the commercial complex in that Campclar location. The Prosecutor's Office must determine during the coming months if the municipal license was granted in a manner adjusted to law or if, on the contrary, there were indications of criminal relevance.
With this opening of proceedings, the case enters a new phase of legal review regarding one of the most sensitive urban planning authorizations in the industrial and commercial environment of Tarragona. For now there is no resolution on the merits of the matter and the investigation remains open.