Two senior Local Police officers in Tenerife have been arrested for allegedly embezzling public funds by issuing fines for various offences to tourists in the south of the island and keeping the money. The arrests were made by the Guardia Civil following an undercover internal investigation aimed at uncovering reported irregularities.
The operation, named "Operation Martyr," began four months ago when the Judicial Police Unit (UOPJ) received reports of suspicious activity by these officers. The investigation was carried out discreetly by the UOPJ, with support from the Traffic Accident and Investigation Group (GIAT).
They discovered that the two officers had been misappropriating funds from fines issued to non-resident foreign tourists for traffic violations, where they made the holidaymakers pay the fine in cash. These fines were never officially processed, and the money was kept by the officers. The scheme is believed to have been going on for several years.
After gathering enough evidence, the Guardia Civil arrested the two officers, conducting searches that uncovered a significant number of documents supporting the allegations. Along with these were several tens of thousands of euros and hundreds of unprocessed traffic fine reports were seized, pointing to a long-running pattern of corruption.
The investigation is being overseen by the Judicial Authority and the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office of the Provincial Court. Both officers are now in custody, and the judicial authority has ordered their imprisonment as the investigation continues.
