Ex-labor boss "used cocaine paid for with public money"

The former regional labor chief of the Socialist Andalusian government, Javier Guerrero, who is thought to have made fraudulent payouts of public money to friends and family, has been accused by his former chauffer, Juan Francisco Trujillo, of granting him two subsidies to a total of 900,000 euros. The driver told police that "most of that money" was used "to buy cocaine" for him and Guerrero, as well as being spent on "partying and cocktails."

As part of the ongoing investigation into the far-reaching corruption case, Trujillo also told the police that he had used the money to buy a plot of land (which he subsequently sold), an apartment in Seville, cellphones, musical items, antiques and clothing - all under instruction from Guerrero.

The former labor chief is alleged to have syphoned off money from a 647-million-euro fund set up by the regional government to finance early retirement packages and provide assistance for companies who needed to cover compensation payouts to lay off workers.

"Guerrero told me that he could grant subsidies indiscriminately and without the need to justify anything," the ex-chauffer told police on December 15, after they had searched his businesses as a result of an investigation by the tax office into fraud.

The accusation marks the first time that someone involved in the case has accused Guerrero directly of having taken money from the fund. He did, however, award his mother-in-law Victorina Madrid with two policies worth 230,000 euros as a fake early-retiree.

The driver stated that he had handed over between 40,000 and 50,000 euros to Guerrero. "When he finished his work day, we would go out drinking, and we would take cocaine that had been paid for with the public money from the subsidy," he said.

Guerrero's lawyer has refuted the accusations. "They are completely false and have no basis in truth," he said. The lawyer went on to say that his client would be suing the former driver, as well as other figures who consider the claims to be true, such as the general secretary of the Andalusian Socialist Party, Susana Díaz.

On Tuesday, however, the Popular Party's spokesperson in Andalusia, Rosario Soto, said that the driver had in fact received a third payment, of 450,000 euros, which, if true, would bring the total received by Trujillo to 1,350,000 euros.