Carlos Delgado, former mayor of Calvià and former Minister of Tourism of the Balearic Government under the PP during the government of José Ramón Bauzà, has published a devastating opinion article in Mallordiario under the title Calanova case: what the paper press has not counted after his acquittal in the Calanova casecase, in which he denounces a judicial and media witch-hunt against him. Delgado has left no stone unturned and has lashed out against the press, the Prosecutor’s Office, the investigating judge, the PSOE and even her own party, the PP.
His account describes an eight-year judicial process, which he considers riddled with irregularities, born out of a personal vendetta and amplified by the media with political and business interests. The following are the key points of his accusations.
📌 Who is Carlos Delgado?
Carlos Delgado Truyols (Palma, 1965) is a Majorcan lawyer and politician who was mayor of Calvià between 2003 and 2011 under the initials of the PP, being a controversial character for his direct style and his shock measures. In 2011, José Ramón Bauzá appointed him Minister of Tourism and Sports of the Balearic Government, a position he held until his departure in 2013. His management in tourism was key in the implementation of the decree of the ‘all-inclusive’ law and the liberalization of obsolete hotels to convert them into luxury housing.
His name was linked to the Calanova casecase, an investigation into the awarding of the concession of the marina of Palma to the company IB3 Marine Investment SL, in which he was charged with prevarication and influence peddling until the judge closed the case.
📌 An eight-year trial based on personal revenge
According to Delgado, the Calanova case case was born as a revenge of the businessman Alfonso Fofo Robledo, former manager of the restaurant in the port of Cala Nova. He says that, for years, Robledo operated with privileges, paying ridiculous prices for the premises, organizing events of dubious legality and maintaining preferential treatment with politicians and judges, who supposedly had free moorings or reduced rates in the port.
When the port concession passed to IB3 Marine Investment SL, the new manager decided not to renew the restaurant contract. Robledo then filed a complaint for alleged irregularities in the awarding of the port, which led to a judicial investigation that lasted eight years.
📌 Criticism of the press: “I have been treated like a criminal for years”.
Delgado accuses the local media, especially Última Hora and Diario de Mallorca, of having acted as “parallel courts”, publishing biased information and omitting key facts about his acquittal.
📌 What Delgado denounces:
- For eight years, the press portrayed him as corrupt without conclusive evidence.
- No relevant information on the irregularities of the process was published.
- The media have hushed up his acquittal, while his indictment did make the front pages.
Delgado emphasizes that, once the case was closed, none of the accusations has filed an appeal, which, in his opinion, shows that the case was unfounded from the beginning.
📌 Accusations to the examining magistrate: “He sought prominence at my expense”.
One of the most serious points of his complaint is the role of Judge Íñigo Ares, whom he accuses of having handled the case in an irregular and arbitrary manner.
📌 The accusations against the judge:
- He kept the case open for years with no legal basis.
- He signed resolutions when he had already been transferred to another court, which could be an irregularity.
- He accepted a complaint for false testimony without superior authorization, which Delgado considers an “improper use of judicial power”.
The former minister considers that the judicial system has failed, allowing an unfounded complaint to drag on for almost a decade.
📌 Accusations to the Prosecutor’s Office: “He did not investigate the evidence in my favor”.
Another of Delgado’s darts is directed at the Prosecutor’s Office, which he accuses of having acted with double standards.
📌 Delgado criticizes the Prosecutor’s Office:
- He did not investigate the evidence showing that the Calanova award was legal.
- Gave credibility to witnesses with personal interests in the process.
- It did not act independently, allowing itself to be influenced by media and political pressure.
📌 Complaints against PSOE and PP: “Both have used my case politically”.
Delgado not only points the finger at judges and the media, but also at the main political parties, which he accuses of having used his case for partisan purposes.
📌 Criticism of the PSOE:
- He claims that the left-wing government pushed the court case when he left office.
- He considers that they were permissive with Robledo, the businessman who initiated the complaint.
📌 Criticism of the PP:
- He complains about the lack of support from his own party during the process.
- He claims that the PP “looked the other way”, without defending him when he needed it most.
📌 Revelations about privileges in the port of Calanova
Delgado explains that when the new company took over the management of the port, they found a scenario of corruption in which politicians and judges had free moorings or with scandalous discounts.
📌 What the new management found:
- Infrastructure in ruins with deficient management.
- Politicians and judges with free or almost free moorings.
- Economic losses affecting the public treasury.
According to Delgado, the change of concession broke this system of privileges, which generated great opposition in certain sectors that benefited from the old model.
📌 Conclusion: “My life has been destroyed without evidence”.
Delgado closes his article by denouncing that he has been the victim of political and judicial persecution that has affected his family, his career and his reputation.
📌 His final message:
- “I have been accused without evidence for eight years.”
- “I have been treated like a criminal, while my acquittal has had hardly any repercussions.”
- “This shows that the judicial, political and media system can destroy anyone without evidence.”
