Investigation under way after Axarquía councillor steps down following arrest

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Susana Carrillo was responsible for education and culture in the village of Moclinejo in the east of malaga province until she handed in her formal resignation on Monday 20 April

Eugenio Cabezas

Tuesday, 21 April 2026, 15:23

A Partido Popular (PP) councillor in the village of Moclinejo in Malaga province's Axarquía area has resigned after being arrested by the Guardia Civil on Friday 17 April on suspicion of theft, following a search of her home in the hamlet of El Valdés.

After giving a statement at the Civil Guard headquarters and being released pending a court summons, Susana Carrillo, who was responsible for education and culture at the town hall, submitted her resignation the following day giving "professional and personal reasons", according to the mayor, Antonio Muñoz (PP).

Speaking to SUR, Muñoz said he did not know the reason for the arrest, but is "certain" it has nothing to do with her public role or duties. “She hasn’t given me any further explanation,” the mayor told SUR. No further details of the incident have been disclosed so far.

Following her resignation, Carrillo's seat will now, in principle, be taken by the sixth candidate on the PP list, Joana Blanca. According to the mayor, the former councillor worked in the property cleaning sector and had previously held a part-time job at a company, though Muñoz did not specify the exact field of work she was involved in.

Her husband works in the construction sector as a carpenter and the couple has two children. SUR has tried, unsuccessfully, to contact Carrillo, whose mobile phone is switched off or out of coverage.

The provincial president of the PP, Patricia Navarro, explained on Tuesday that the Carrillo has been suspended from the party as a precautionary measure, following the opening of an investigation “as soon as we learned” that she had been arrested, “pending the progress of the investigation and the court’s verdict”, she added.