On April 13, 2016, a large group of national police officers searched Granada's town hall, the headquarters of several companies and some private homes, including that of the city's then mayor, the popular José Torres Hurtado. They were investigating a possible municipal corruption plot in which the politician appeared to be the most relevant person. He was arrested along with 15 people, including city councilors and urban planning officials from his government team. The Nazarí case, as the alleged conspiracy was called, later led to other individual pieces. However, what the police suspected at the time could not later be supported by a court ruling; Trial after trial, the former mayor was acquitted of all charges. Then the PP distanced itself from Torres Hurtado and dropped him. Seven years, eight months and two days later, according to the former mayor's own statements, his party honored him this Friday in Granada.
Every year, at the Christmas meeting of its board, the PP of Granada honors the career of one of its members by presenting a silver grenade. This year's prize went to Torres Hurtado and was awarded to Elías Bendodo, Assistant Secretary for Autonomous and Local Coordination of the National PP. A symbolic path to the rehabilitation of the former city councilor, 77 years old, beyond the provincial level, because the opinion of regional and state PP officials also had a lot to do with his downfall at the time. During their time as Interior Minister and last person in charge of the National Police, Jorge Fernández Díaz, Antonio Sanz, now advisor to the Presidency and then government delegate in Andalusia, and the current President Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla praised the police operation. This Friday Bendodo explained: “I come to Granada mainly to hug Pepe.” [Torres Hurado]“. And the former mayor made an indirect reference to those who overthrew him.
The provincial president of the PP, Francisco Rodríguez, was responsible for the eulogy of the laureate, without mentioning April 13, 2016 or the following days, months and years, which the laureate, however, mentioned later. Rodríguez has defined Torres Hurtado as one of the “serious, honest, sincere, hard-working people with a vocation to public service” who founded the PP of Granada and made it “shine”. They had, he said, “defended Granada's interests for many years in the Congress of Deputies, in the Senate, in the Andalusian Parliament or as delegates of the Andalusian Government.” Torres Hurtado was relevant in the party from the first decade of the 21st century until his downfall. Rodríguez emphasized that he is “the only mayor of the city to have won four elections in a row.”
After a standing ovation from those present – including some of those who supported the defenestration of the former mayor at the time, as he mentioned in his speech – Torres Hurtado took the floor and was not deterred by a list of accusations that also included alleged crimes of bribery , contract fraud, illicit association, subterfuge, influence peddling, misappropriation of public funds, fraud, falsification of business documents, unfair administration and spatial planning. Excited and with a trembling voice, he explained: “Seven years, eight months and two days have passed since an operation, let's say unorthodox, not to use harsher words, led to the downfall of a city councilor who was an example in Spain Province and in Andalusia (…) until they regretfully abandoned us.”
Torres Hurtado gave advice to those who now lead the party: “Never participate in demolitions for personal interests because you are incompetent or useless in getting voters to vote for you.” Mayor or whatever.” Don't try to win the office of mayor with lawsuits and bad manners, because in the end the citizens, the city and the party lose. (…) Anyone who kills iron with iron dies.”
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