Madrid/Seville. This Tuesday, the Central Operational Unit of the Civil Guard has arrested Rafael Pineda, who was chief of staff to the Government Delegation in Andalusia, Pedro Fernández, in connection with an investigation related to an urban development operation. Sources close to the case have reported that, in addition to Pineda, four additional arrests were made, including that of his wife. Of the five arrests, four took place in Seville and one in Málaga, according to the same sources. The UCO investigations are focused on a commercial transaction involving the sale of a 10,000 square metre plot of land in Higuerón, Seville, for €3.9 million. This public land had been acquired five months earlier by a company belonging to Rafael Pineda’s wife for a lower price, €1.7 million, from the Municipal Housing Company of Seville. The UCO had previously intervened in Pineda’s corporate email during his time at the Delegation of the Government of Andalusia, which also included searches at the Emvisesa headquarters. This procedure related to Pineda is being directed by the Investigation Court No. 10 of Seville, which lifted the secrecy of the actions in mid-October and allowed his participation in a case investigating offences of influence peddling and corporate corruption. According to informed judicial sources, this is a separate piece within a broader case being pursued in this court for money laundering. The events that led to Pineda’s arrest by the UCO refer to a period prior to his position as chief of staff to the Government Delegation in Andalusia, a post he resigned from in September.
