Fresh calls for a snap election and UM to be expelled

THE President of the left wing coalition Balearic government,. Francesc Antich, was last night under fresh pressure to call a snap election and expel the (UM) Majorcan Unionist Party from all administration after the government's UM Director General for Environmental Quality was arrested.

Antoni Oliver is the first member of the current government to have been arrested and last night, parts of the coalition maintained that the time has come for all members of the UM to be removed from government, Council of Majorca and Palma Council positions. Oliver was picked up as part of “Operation Vulture”, an investigation into alleged corruption inside the Balearic Institute for Tourism Strategy of which Oliver was the director until a few weeks ago.

Two more arrests were made in connection with the investigation yesterday afternoon in Pollensa and last night, members of the fraud squad were still combing the Institute's offices.

Over the past few months, leading members of the UM have been implicated in a series of alleged cases of corruption including the party's Honorary President, former party leader and a Minister for Tourism.