The court order detailing the operation of the Central Operational Unit of the Civil Guard (UCO) against the Diputación de Almería puts the focus on two luxury trips to Ibiza, paid entirely in cash by the former provincial president and former leader of the PP Almeria, Javier Aureliano García, and the then vice president Óscar Liria. The investigation considers these trips – made in 2016 and 2017 – a key indication within an alleged scheme to collect illegal commissions and money laundering.
According to the order, the trips were of“high cost” and were paid without bank movements that could justify their origin. The judge stresses that both leaders used “
A network that operated for almost a decade
The judicial document goes beyond the trips and places García as the axis of an alleged network of illegal commissions related to minor contracts between 2016 and 2025. Five people have been arrested, including the president and vice president of the Diputación, in addition to the mayor of Fines and several collaborators. The plot would have used public awards to obtain cash that was then laundered through real estate purchases, mortgage payments and other opaque operations.
Among those under investigation is also the businessman Kilian Lopez, who was also accused of alleged irregularities in the awarding of two million euros in health material during the pandemic. The UCO maintains that his role was key to channel part of the money obtained.
Laundering through the family
The order details numerous cash operations carried out by García and his entourage, interpreted as laundering mechanisms. For example, 19,750 euros were deposited in ATMs for an account in the name of his sister to pay a mortgage; the entry of 20,000 euros was also recorded in April 2025 to purchase a plot of land.
In addition, the former president would have bought 75% of an inherited house from his siblings without any bank transfer being recorded. The judge maintains that García’s relatives acted “in collusion” to introduce into the legal circuit the money from illicit commissions through the family community of goods.
A key piece of research
The link between the luxury trips -including the one to Ibiza-, the systematic use of cash and the investigated awards turns these trips into a central piece for the investigators. The UCO considers that these stays, without bank payments to support them and coinciding with alleged fraudulent maneuvers, are one of the clearest indications of the existence of a structured corruption network.
The investigation is still open
The judge keeps open several lines of investigation and does not rule out new charges as the analysis of seized bank and patrimonial documentation progresses. The facts described cover almost a decade of activity and point to an alleged systematic use of illicit funds in the Diputación de Almería.
