Mayor of Pedro Brand Denounces Illegal Collection of Fees by the Fire Department

Pedro Brand. – The mayor of this municipality, Ramón Pascual Gómez (El Mello), denounced this Wednesday that the local Fire Department would be making illegal charges of fees to businessmen in the area, an action for which, according to what he affirmed, said institution does not have legal authority.

The municipal executive reported that numerous merchants have gone to the City Hall expressing concern about the pressures received. According to the complaints, the businessmen receive notifications of mandatory payments under threat of sanctions and closure of establishments.

Legal and administrative actions

"We will go to the ultimate consequences. We will present this case to the Minister of Interior and Police, Faride Raful," emphasized the mayor, after warning that he will not tolerate the usurpation of functions that are exclusively the responsibility of the municipal administration. Gómez explained that the firefighters have reported non-existent debts, attributing themselves collection powers that the law grants only to the City Council. Likewise, he pointed out as responsible for these actions a representative of the Ministry of Interior and Police and the president of the Council of Aldermen of the municipality.

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Financial Irregularities The mayor described as "serious" the alleged creation of an independent bank account by the Fire Department to manage said funds. "They have created their own account from which they make payments and hire personnel for allegedly provided services, outside of municipal control," he stated. Faced with this evidence, the official made an energetic call to the commercial sector: "We ask the businessmen not to pay a single cent. What they are doing is incorrect. These notifications are even reaching the prosecutor's office without legal basis."

Testimonials from those affected

Several merchants from Pedro Brand confirmed they had yielded to pressure for fear of retaliation. "My business complied with everything, but they threatened to close it. I deposited five thousand pesos into that account to avoid problems," recounted one of those affected. Other business owners agreed that they have received repeated closure notices if they did not make the required bank deposits.

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The Mayor's Office of Pedro Brand reiterated that it will initiate the pertinent legal actions to stop these practices, guarantee the legal security of the commercial sector and ensure compliance with the organic law municipal.