From public recognition to dismissal: the Government dismisses the Director of Costs who denounced a bribe

PalmaIt has not been four months since the Government expressed its "pride and satisfaction" for the conduct of the Director General of Coasts, Maria Joaquina Ferrer, who reported an attempted bribery by a businessman from Mallorca. But the Executive has shifted from public recognition to the dismissal of Ferrer, who has not yet completed a year in office and who will now return to her position as a civil servant of the CAIB. The dismissal will be effective this Friday in the Governing Council.

One of the reasons that have precipitated the dismissal have been the bottlenecks in the concessions of beach services in Formentera, which have generated great unrest among businessmen and the island's Island Council. Sources from the Executive confirm these frictions. Sources close to the processing indicate that the delays in authorizations are the responsibility of the Formentera Council, which did not send the documentation to the Ministry of the Sea when it should have. Furthermore, in a meeting with representatives of the Council and the sector, the Government was warned that votes for the PP in the next elections were at stake.

A resolution from the Directorate General of Coasts in May for the temporary facilities of 2026-2029 denied the authorization of 681 sunbeds and 339 umbrellas and provoked criticism from the Formentera Council to the Government (Coasts did authorize 1,169 sunbeds and 589 umbrellas). Llevant, les Illetes, Migjorn, els Pujols, Cavall d'en Borràs and Copinar were the beaches affected by this decision.

The Minister of the Sea and the Water Cycle, Juan Manuel Lafuente, supported Ferrer. "We all have to comply with the Coastal Regulations, whether we like it or not," he said at the time, in addition to ruling out that there was a political motivation behind the denial by Coasts. Lafuente explained that the Pact had granted concessions for eight years, even though only four can be granted, which is why the authorizations had to be adapted "to the reality of 2026".

But Lafuente's support has reached its limit and the crisis caused by the concessions in Formentera has precipitated Ferrer's dismissal. The person in charge of replacing her is the former mayor of Llucmajor, Joan Cristòfol Jaume Mulet, with a political profile that contrasts with Ferrer's, who is much more technical.

20,000 euros in a box of chocolates

The National Police arrested in late April a businessman from Mallorca who tried to bribe Ferrer. The man had gone to the office of a senior official to resolve an issue regarding permits linked to his businesses and gave her a box of chocolates. Ferrer's surprise was immense when she opened it to offer some to her employees and found 20,000 euros in 50-euro bills inside. The director general immediately reported the find and called the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF). The Police took fifteen days to locate the businessman.

"He acted as any civil servant or any senior public official of the Government should act," said the Vice President of the Government, Antoni Costa, at the time. "I can do nothing but express my satisfaction with the Director General of Coasts," he added.

Ferrer lamented at the time that the "idea of making private use of the coast outside the norm" still persists and remarked that "progress is being made in coastal management, especially in terms of control, inspection, and processing of files". "The objective is to reverse this dynamic: to act with more determination, reduce impunity margins, and consolidate the idea that public domain is a collective good that must be protected. In this sense, it is essential to find a balance between economic activities and coastal conservation," she stated in an interview with ARA Balears.