The councillor for Urban Planning and first deputy mayor of Esparraguera, Natividad Sánchez, has resigned amid a widening judicial investigation into alleged corruption involving public contracts awarded to the Private Foundation for Labour Inclusion (FIL). Her resignation, confirmed on Thursday 5th November 2026, comes just three days after another local official stepped down over the same case.
Sánchez stated she was stepping back to “prevent the judicial investigations and the information derived from them from interfering with the work of the municipal government”. The Esparraguera Town Hall, governed by the Partit dels Socialistes (PSC), reiterated its commitment to “legality, transparency, and integrity” in managing public resources.
The investigation, led by Court 7 of the Court of First Instance of Martorell, initially focused on alleged irregular management of the FIL, a non-profit that supports people with intellectual disabilities and those at risk of social exclusion. It has since expanded to examine five municipal contracts for street cleaning and gardening services worth nearly €5 million between 2022 and 2024.
Former Esparraguera mayor and current chief of staff to Generalitat President Salvador Illa, Eduard Rivas, is under investigation for allegedly rigging these contracts in favour of the FIL. Judicial sources indicate that messages from Rivas’s phone, seized by the Mossos d’Esquadra in January 2026, suggest he may have shared tender criteria and pre-announced contract awards to the foundation’s former manager, Jordi Minguito.
Contracts Under Scrutiny
The FIL, of which Rivas was a board member alongside other Baix Llobregat mayors, received multiple municipal service contracts during his tenure. Prosecutors allege that the bidding process was manipulated to benefit the foundation, raising concerns about conflicts of interest and abuse of public office.
Separately, the Fiscalía Anticorrupción has accused Minguito of misappropriating foundation funds for personal gain, using shell companies to launder money. The FIL expelled him over a month ago.
“We wrote the tender criteria with you in mind,”
, one of the incriminating messages attributed to Rivas, as reported by El Periódico and Vilaweb.
Rivas Steps Down
Upon learning the investigation would become public, Rivas resigned from his role as chief of staff to the President of the Generalitat. He denies receiving any personal benefit or compensation, according to statements published by El Español.
The case remains under seal, with no trial date set. Both Rivas and Sánchez are considered formal subjects of investigation, though neither has been charged.
Sources: El Mundo, El País, vilapress.cat, El Periódico, ABC.
