{"id":23301,"date":"2025-05-20T13:59:34","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T11:59:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.latribunedeplanas.com\/?p=23301"},"modified":"2026-08-02T15:12:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T13:12:31","slug":"malfeasance-or-simple-refusal-to-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.latribunedeplanas.com\/en\/malfeasance-or-simple-refusal-to-act\/","title":{"rendered":"Prevaricaci\u00f3n and Planas del Rey: Does Pratdip’s Position Have a Legal Basis?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Terminological note:<\/strong> The Spanish legal concept of prevaricaci\u00f3n<\/em> refers to a criminal offence committed by a public authority or official who knowingly adopts an arbitrary decision in the exercise of administrative duties. Although English law recognises a number of offences relating to misconduct in public office, there is no exact equivalent to the Spanish offence of prevaricaci\u00f3n<\/em>. For that reason, this article retains the original Spanish term.<\/div>\n

When the Pratdip Town Hall invokes \u00ab prevaricaci\u00f3n \u00bb to justify its inaction<\/h2>\n

For several years, successive mayors of Pratdip have relied on the same argument to explain their refusal to intervene in Planas del Rey:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a private urbanisation. If I intervene, I could be prosecuted for prevaricaci\u00f3n<\/em>.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

This statement raises several questions. Does it accurately reflect Spanish law? Does the legal status of Planas del Rey justify such an interpretation? Are the administrative decisions taken by the municipality over the years consistent with this position?<\/p>\n

The following elements provide an opportunity to examine these questions in the light of Spanish legislation and the administrative decisions that are publicly known.<\/p>\n

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1. What does prevaricaci\u00f3n<\/em> mean under Spanish law?<\/h2>\n

Prevaricaci\u00f3n administrativa<\/em> is defined in Article 404 of the Spanish Criminal Code<\/span>:<\/p>\n

\u201cAny public authority or official who, knowingly, issues an arbitrary decision in an administrative matter shall be punished by disqualification from holding public office for a period of nine to fifteen years.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

This provision penalises the deliberate adoption of arbitrary or manifestly unlawful administrative decisions.<\/p>\n

However, it does not, in itself, prohibit a municipality from intervening in an urbanisation<\/span>. The key question is therefore whether the specific circumstances of Planas del Rey genuinely justify the argument put forward by the Town Hall.<\/p>\n

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2. The legal status of Planas del Rey deserves closer examination<\/h2>\n

Several known facts appear difficult to reconcile with the assertion that Planas del Rey is an entirely private urbanisation.<\/p>\n

a) Collective facilities are registered in the name of the Town Hall<\/p>\n

The streets, green areas and swimming pool of Planas del Rey are registered in the name of Pratdip Town Hall in the Falset Cadastre<\/span>.<\/p>\n

While cadastral registration is not, by itself, proof of legal ownership, it nevertheless reflects an administrative recognition that raises questions about the alleged exclusively private status of these facilities.<\/p>\n

b) No known document expressly classifies the urbanisation as private<\/p>\n

To date, neither the notarial deeds consulted nor the municipal documentation examined expressly describes Planas del Rey as a private urbanisation excluded from municipal services.<\/p>\n

The absence of such an explicit classification deserves to be taken into account when assessing the legal status of the urbanisation.<\/p>\n

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3. Building permits issued by the Town Hall<\/h2>\n

Since the early 2000s, Pratdip Town Hall has repeatedly granted building permits in Planas del Rey<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Article 11.3 of Royal Legislative Decree 7\/2015<\/span> sets out the conditions under which land may qualify as a solar<\/em>, that is, land suitable for development.<\/p>\n

The repeated granting of building permits therefore raises an important question: what planning status did the municipality attribute to these plots when issuing those permits?<\/span><\/p>\n

This appears difficult to reconcile with the assertion that the municipality is now legally unable to intervene.<\/p>\n

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4. Obligations under Law 7\/1985<\/h2>\n

Since 2017, Planas del Rey has been without public street lighting, although property owners continue to pay municipal taxes, including the IBI.<\/p>\n

Article 26.1.a of Law 7\/1985<\/span> establishes the minimum public services that Spanish municipalities are required to provide.<\/p>\n

These include:<\/p>\n

\u201cPublic street lighting, waste collection, drinking water supply, sewerage, road maintenance and access to public roads.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

In light of this provision, the situation in Planas del Rey raises questions regarding compliance with the municipality’s statutory obligations towards an inhabited area.<\/p>\n

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5. A contradiction that deserves clarification<\/h2>\n

The facts outlined above highlight several elements:<\/p>\n