The chief of staff of the president of the Generalitat Salvador Illa, Eduard Rivas, is being investigated for alleged irregularities committed during his time as mayor of Esparraguera (Barcelona), a position he held between 2015 and 2024. The investigation focuses on his management at the head of the council before joining the Catalan Govern.
The Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Cataluña has confirmed that the Juzgado de Instancia número 7 de Martorell maintains an open case, currently under secrecy, for an alleged crime of embezzlement of public funds. The judicial procedure seeks to clarify whether there was an improper use of municipal funds during that period.
The investigations are linked to the Fundación para la Inclusión Laboral (FIL), an entity oriented to the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities and at risk of exclusion. The investigators are trying to determine if part of the money coming from public contracts awarded by the Ayuntamiento de Esparraguera could have been destined to cover private expenses of members related to the organization.
Within the framework of the investigation, in January 2026 the Mossos d'Esquadra seized Rivas' mobile phone by judicial order. This action is part of the open proceedings to gather evidence about the investigated facts.
From the Govern, official sources have conveyed the “full confidence” of Salvador Illa in his chief of staff, emphasizing that Rivas is “the first interested in the investigation being clarified as soon as possible” and that he has shown “total willingness to collaborate”. For his part, the leader of the Partido Popular in Cataluña, Alejandro Fernández, has criticized the situation and has stated that the president of the Generalitat “should choose better companies”, in statements disseminated through social networks.
