The general secretary of the Tarragona City Council endorsed the contract of Mercats Municipals with a former employee who is being investigated by the Anti-Fraud Office of Catalonia for the formalization of a service that could conceal an employment relationship and for a possible conflict of interest. The award, published on the contractor's profile in March 2025, amounts to 47,916 euros for the Tarragona Open Commercial Center project, subsidized with European Next Generation funds.
The awarded assignment consists of carrying out an exhaustive follow-up of this project. The beneficiary of the contract was a former advisor to the municipal group Junts per Tarragona between 2019 and 2023. In the administrative documentation, the general secretary certified that the former employee had submitted the required documentation to award the professional service.
Antifraud requests all the documentation from the mayor
The Anti-Fraud Office has demanded from the mayor of Tarragona, Rubén Viñales, that he submit within a period of ten working days all documentation related to the contractual or labor relations of the investigated person since January 2023. The request is framed within proceedings focused on the possible irregular coverage of an employment relationship under the formula of a service contract, in addition to a potential conflict of interest.
The award was supported by all municipal groups with representation in the company's management, while ECP opted for abstention.
Extraordinary Council in Mercats
The president of Mercats, Montse Adan, of the PSC, has called an extraordinary board meeting to report on the requirement from the Anti-Fraud Office of Catalonia. The meeting comes after the open investigation into this file became known.
From ERC, councilwoman Gemma Fusté has expressed her concern about the case and has demanded explanations.
"It worries us. We are following the facts awaiting to receive all the information and explanations. We demand maximum transparency as we have always done" - Gemma Fusté, ERC
Jordi Collado, from ECP, has also spoken, who has warned of the impact that any suspicion about the municipal company would have.
"Espimsa went down in history as a company marked by petty corruption and corruption. We cannot allow even a shadow of a doubt about Mercats de Tarragona" - Jordi Collado, ECP
The Antifrau investigation centers on the formalization of the contract and on a possible conflict of interest. Awaiting the documentation required by the body, the file is now under review amidst a full demand for transparency by several municipal groups in the Tarragona City Council.