Andalusian layoff scandal court wants government files kept "safe"

The legal standoff battle between the regional government and a judge investigating allegedly fraudulent severance payments from a public fund in Andalusia took another twist on Tuesday after she ordered the local administration to hand over documents related to the case in a sealed envelope to another court for safekeeping.

The latest development came after the Andalusian government had refused to deliver the minutes from its executive meetings covering the past 10 years after arguing the contents were "secret" and that Judge Mercedes Alaya's request was "unprecedented."

Alaya on Tuesday threatened to declare the local government in a state of legal "disobedience" if it did not comply with her order within 72 hours. The local administration indicated yesterday it would comply.

The judge said her order was a precautionary measure to avoid the possible "alteration or concealment of relevant aspects of the minutes" while the Supreme Court rules on her dispute with the administration of Socialist regional premier José Antonio Griñán.

Alaya is investigating 72 suspected illegal payments from the public fund, which amounted to 647 million euros. The fund was set up to help financially strapped companies in the region make severance payments for workers that were being laid off. Some of the recipients had never worked for the companies in question.

Former regional labor chief, Javier Guerrero, has admitted using money from the fund to make generous retirement payoffs to friends and family members, including his own mother-in-law.

An estimated 10 million euros was siphoned off from the fund.