A ‘BENT’ cop accused of pocketing nearly £120,000 in cash payments from foreign tourists over alleged traffic offences has been arrested on a popular holiday island.
Gran Canaria detectives said the officer could have been running his alleged scheme for at least five years, and is believed to have targeted more than 1,000 people.
The Sun understands the man to be a veteran policeman who had been doing his job for 25 years.
As news of the arrest emerged today following an operation led by the Civil Guard code-named Operation Paycash, one well placed source said: “British and Irish holidaymakers [were] bound to be among those affected.”
The accused man has not been named; however, he is believed to be a municipal police officer employed by Mogan Town Hall.
He operated in the resort of Puerto Rico – one of Gran Canaria’s most popular tourist areas.
A spokesman for the Civil Guard confirmed the arrest, saying: “Our officers have held a police officer employed by Mogan Town Hall for alleged embezzlement of public funds and administrative malpractice.”
The spokesman said the investigation began in June last year after local council officials detected “irregularities”, where Penalty Charge Notice proceedings were interrupted before fines could legally be issued.
“The officer now under investigation allegedly initiated the fines process for traffic offences he observed during his working day, but then cancelled them without any proper justification and instead demanded cash from road users,” they said.
The investigation revealed that most of the alleged offenders had been tourists using rental cars.
“More than 1,000 Penalty Charge Notice proceedings were initiated over a period lasting several years and some €135,000 (£115,000) was allegedly embezzled,” he said.
Officers searched records spanning back five years, finding that sanctioned tourists had been required to pay cash.
“Over several months investigators also carried out undercover surveillance while the arrested man was working and saw he honed in on different areas of the tourist resort of Puerto Rico,” the spokesman added.
The local officer was arrested on Monday while he was in uniform and spent the night in a cell.
He has since been released on bail after appearing before a judge on Tuesday who is leading an ongoing criminal probe.
He declined to give evidence before being released.
Mogan Town Hall is expected to launch its own prosecution which will run parallel to the Spanish state’s.
Several alleged victims have been interviewed and are expected to give evidence if the officer is charged and put on trial.
Asked whether targeted tourists could have been asked to hand over money for “made-up” offences, one well-placed source said: “I imagine in the next few days we’ll know more.”
