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Francisco José Salido and José Manuel López Merino when they were in charge of the port of Benalmádena. SUR Corruption Former Benalmádena councillor Francisco Salido sentenced to four years and four months in prison for rigging contractsThe incidents, for which councillor López Merino has been sentenced to the same penalty, occurred between 2011 and 2012 when he was delegate of the marina
Benalmádena
Tuesday, 20 January 2026, 15:00
The Provincial Court of Malaga has sentenced former Benalmádena councillor Francisco José Salido to four years and four months in prison for rigging contracts between 2011 and 2012. At the time, Salido served as managing director of the Puerto Deportivo de Benalmádena municipal company.
The same sentence was handed down to José Manuel López Merino, the entity’s former board secretary and vice-president of Salido’s party, Unión Centro Benalmádena (UCB). According to the ruling, to which SUR has had access, López Merino acted as Salido’s "right-hand man."
Magistrates found both men guilty of continuous administrative misconduct, fraud in public procurement, and falsification of official documents. In addition to prison time, they face a 13-year ban from holding public office and must pay legal costs and fines (calculated at €15 per day for eight months).
The court acquitted Javier Cimiano, the port’s former general manager, for whom the Public Prosecutor had requested a prison sentence of two years and nine months.
The contract rigging occurred between August 2011 - when the Mayor’s office was held by Socialist Javier Carnero - and August 2012. By the end of this period, UCB councillors had supported a second vote of no confidence against Carnero, handing power to the Popular Party’s Paloma García Gálvez.
According to the ruling, the convicts "repeatedly and arbitrarily" approved contracts favoring three companies owned by businessman Miguel S. I. (now deceased). These companies had been established only months prior to receiving the awards.
The companies were awarded contracts totaling over €6.5 million (plus VAT). The files lacked general administrative terms, conditions, or technical specifications. To circumvent legal thresholds requiring public tenders, the contracts were artificially split. The convicts simulated competition by including false bids in the files - either from other companies owned by the same businessman or by fabricating budgets themselves.
Among the rigged contracts was a port maintenance deal initially awarded for €8,920. It was extended monthly on 11 occasions, eventually costing €111,500.33 plus taxes. A similar scheme was used for garden maintenance, which ballooned from €8,970 to €106,145 plus VAT, along with two extraordinary payments totaling nearly €29,000.
The judgment also detailed three rigged construction contracts: two for underpinning berthing quays (valued at €123,523 and €96,252) and one for the pedestrianization of the area surrounding the "Pueblo Marinero" (Marine Village) in Puerto Marina, valued at €138,250.