They reject that the Government pays the 52,000 euros for the defense of Carlos Delgado for the Calanova case

PalmaThe Consultative Council has dismissed the claim filed by the former Minister of Tourism, Carlos Delgado, for the Government to pay him the more than 52,000 euros corresponding to his legal defense expenses in the Calanova case, from which he was acquitted in January 2025.

In a recent opinion, the consultative body concludes that the requirements for the Administration to assume this cost are not met and rejects Delgado's arguments, who maintained that he had been the subject of an "unjust and unjustified" accusation for having been part of the Government.

The former minister, who was acquitted by the Provincial Court of the crimes of prevarication and influence peddling related to the award of the Calanova marina in 2013, filed a patrimonial claim in which he stated he had suffered "serious moral and economic damages". Although admitting that these damages were difficult to quantify, he claimed at least the cost of his legal defense, amounting to 52,600 euros.

In the brief, Delgado stated that the judicial action had been directed against him "in bad faith" due to his condition as a member of the Government and requested that the Executive pay the bill directly to his lawyer or, alternatively, deposit this amount to him.

The Consultative Council questions the claim

The Consultative Council, however, considers that the request has no legal basis. Among the reasons it sets out, it points out that Delgado did not previously or formally request legal assistance from the Autonomous Community's services, nor did he ask for authorization to hire a private lawyer.

Furthermore, it recalls that the criminal proceedings were not initiated at the Government's request, but as a result of the complaint filed by a private individual, and that the Autonomous Community's Bar only appeared in the case later.

The ruling also questions the quantification of the economic damage claimed. According to the consultative body, Delgado provided a pro forma invoice and acknowledged that he had not yet paid his lawyer's fees. Likewise, it considers that he did not prove that the claimed amount was reasonable or in line with the indicative scales of professional bodies.

Finally, the Council points out that the same lawyer took on the defense of other defendants in the same criminal proceedings and that it has not been detailed which professional actions corresponded exclusively to Delgado and which were shared, which makes it impossible to accurately determine the amount that, eventually, could correspond to him.