Montse Mínguez: zoning change in Lleida benefits her millionaire partner
Montse Mínguez approved a zoning change in Lleida, Spain, that benefited her partner. His company made 2.8 million euros from 30 apartments and paid no corporate tax.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Socialist councillor approved a zoning plan that benefited her partner
Montse Mínguez, spokesperson for Spain's Socialist Party (PSOE), approved a zoning change as a councillor in Lleida that allowed her partner to enrich himself with luxury apartments, according to published reports. The company through which the businessman has profited from rentals has gone five years without paying taxes, according to the published reports. In total, he would have earned 13.3 million since Sánchez came to power and she rose through the party's ranks. The available data point to a scheme that includes unlicensed chalets in a natural cove and the felling of 700 trees to build a luxury development.
The property windfall of Montse Mínguez's partner
The deal dates back to the approval by the Lleida City Council plenary of a zoning change that directly benefited the councillor's partner. According to published reports, the company through which the businessman has enriched himself with rentals invoiced 2.8 million euros from 30 apartments and paid zero euros in corporate tax for five years. The company is a sole-owner firm, meaning the boyfriend manages 30 properties and a preliminary, to-be-reviewed estimate of 6 million. The full calculation, item by item, yields a surprising difference.
Some argue that the approval of a measure by a city council plenary involves many councillors and would have gone ahead without her vote anyway. Against her weighs the argument that the councillor neither recused herself nor disclosed that the developer was her partner, which is seen as a lack of decorum. Some argue that here she appears to be the one pulling strings to benefit him, whereas in other scandals the fraudster was the politician directly.
Unlicensed chalets and 700 felled trees
The case goes beyond the zoning change. According to published reports, the PSOE spokesperson's partner felled 700 trees to build a luxury development and put up unlicensed chalets in a natural cove. These data point to a modus operandi combining business activity with political influence. The company would have earned 13.3 million since Sánchez came to power and she climbed within the PSOE.
The newspaper archive works against the Socialists. Before the story broke, Bolaños said there would only be a conflict if a family member had benefited. Mínguez then did exactly that. The question is what happens now. The answer, for the moment, is that the matter remains open and no resignation is in sight.
The political context: from housing to education
The scandal erupts at a time when the PSOE had focused its campaign on housing. Now, it is noted, the party has switched to talking about education, and only in Madrid, the region that outperforms all others according to the latest PISA report data. The housing gambit won't last them long, some voices point out. The opposition demands explanations and the spokesperson's resignation, but the party clings to the fact that the zoning change was approved collectively.
The PSOE spokesperson's partner is alleged to have evaded taxes and enriched himself with rentals while she rose through the party. The company has gone five years without paying taxes. Invoicing 2.8 million euros from 30 rental apartments and paying zero euros in corporate tax for five years is the fiscal reality attributed to Mínguez's partner. The case keeps adding chapters and each new detail complicates the councillor's position.
What is known about the zoning change in Lleida?
The zoning change approved by the Lleida City Council plenary allowed Montse Mínguez's partner to enrich himself with luxury apartments, according to published reports. The councillor neither recused herself from the vote nor disclosed her relationship with the developer. According to published reports, the businessman's company invoiced 2.8 million from 30 apartments and paid no taxes for five years. The case is in the phase of public revelation and there is no judicial ruling.
The Montse Mínguez case leaves a trail of data pointing to a web of interests between the public and the private. Her partner's company would have earned 13.3 million since Sánchez came to power. The councillor does not resign. The party does not disavow her. And the newspaper archive is still there, recalling that Bolaños said there would only be a conflict if a family member had benefited. Mínguez then did exactly that. The analysis stalls on the same question: how far does the party's protection extend?
Montse Mínguez, spokesperson for Spain's Socialist Party (PSOE), approved a zoning change as a councillor in Lleida that allowed her partner to enrich himself with luxury apartments, according to published reports. The company through which the businessman has profited from rentals has gone five years without paying taxes, according to the published reports. In total, he would have earned 13.3 million since Sánchez came to power and she rose through the party's ranks. The available data point to a scheme that includes unlicensed chalets in a natural cove and the felling of 700 trees to build a luxury development.
The property windfall of Montse Mínguez's partner
The deal dates back to the approval by the Lleida City Council plenary of a zoning change that directly benefited the councillor's partner. According to published reports, the company through which the businessman has enriched himself with rentals invoiced 2.8 million euros from 30 apartments and paid zero euros in corporate tax for five years. The company is a sole-owner firm, meaning the boyfriend manages 30 properties and a preliminary, to-be-reviewed estimate of 6 million. The full calculation, item by item, yields a surprising difference.
Some argue that the approval of a measure by a city council plenary involves many councillors and would have gone ahead without her vote anyway. Against her weighs the argument that the councillor neither recused herself nor disclosed that the developer was her partner, which is seen as a lack of decorum. Some argue that here she appears to be the one pulling strings to benefit him, whereas in other scandals the fraudster was the politician directly.
Unlicensed chalets and 700 felled trees
The case goes beyond the zoning change. According to published reports, the PSOE spokesperson's partner felled 700 trees to build a luxury development and put up unlicensed chalets in a natural cove. These data point to a modus operandi combining business activity with political influence. The company would have earned 13.3 million since Sánchez came to power and she climbed within the PSOE.
The newspaper archive works against the Socialists. Before the story broke, Bolaños said there would only be a conflict if a family member had benefited. Mínguez then did exactly that. The question is what happens now. The answer, for the moment, is that the matter remains open and no resignation is in sight.
The political context: from housing to education
The scandal erupts at a time when the PSOE had focused its campaign on housing. Now, it is noted, the party has switched to talking about education, and only in Madrid, the region that outperforms all others according to the latest PISA report data. The housing gambit won't last them long, some voices point out. The opposition demands explanations and the spokesperson's resignation, but the party clings to the fact that the zoning change was approved collectively.
The PSOE spokesperson's partner is alleged to have evaded taxes and enriched himself with rentals while she rose through the party. The company has gone five years without paying taxes. Invoicing 2.8 million euros from 30 rental apartments and paying zero euros in corporate tax for five years is the fiscal reality attributed to Mínguez's partner. The case keeps adding chapters and each new detail complicates the councillor's position.
What is known about the zoning change in Lleida?
The zoning change approved by the Lleida City Council plenary allowed Montse Mínguez's partner to enrich himself with luxury apartments, according to published reports. The councillor neither recused herself from the vote nor disclosed her relationship with the developer. According to published reports, the businessman's company invoiced 2.8 million from 30 apartments and paid no taxes for five years. The case is in the phase of public revelation and there is no judicial ruling.
The Montse Mínguez case leaves a trail of data pointing to a web of interests between the public and the private. Her partner's company would have earned 13.3 million since Sánchez came to power. The councillor does not resign. The party does not disavow her. And the newspaper archive is still there, recalling that Bolaños said there would only be a conflict if a family member had benefited. Mínguez then did exactly that. The analysis stalls on the same question: how far does the party's protection extend?
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (61 replies).
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