Xàbia Mayor strips councillor of duties following sexual harassment allegation

The Ayuntamiento de Xàbia has announced that the mayor Rosa Cardona has withdrawn the delegated responsibilities and deputy mayor status from councillor José Marcos Pons Devesa (VOX) following an allegation of sexual harassment filed by his former adviser, a municipal employee.

The decision, according to the town hall statement, was taken on grounds of exemplary conduct and institutional responsibility, with the aim of safeguarding municipal stability and ensuring that the council acts with the utmost transparency towards the public. It stressed that the move does not constitute any assessment of the alleged facts and that the presumption of innocence remains fully intact. The measure will remain in place until the matter has been fully clarified.

Mayor Rosa Cardona stated that “public trust in institutions is strengthened by acting with rigour and responsibility, guaranteeing both respect for individuals and exemplary conduct by the town hall”. While the situation remains unresolved, the powers and responsibilities previously held by the councillor will be assumed directly by the mayor’s office.

The mayor’s announcement came after the Socialist opposition PSOE-PSPV had issued a statement calling for immediate action in response to the allegation, although it is not known whether the decision was taken as a direct result of that demand.

In their statement, the socialists described the allegation as particularly serious, noting that the complaint was made by a municipal employee who had been appointed as a trusted adviser by the mayor herself. The statement called for the complaint against the VOX spokesperson and second deputy mayor, José Marcos Pons, to be thoroughly investigated and for precautionary measures to be adopted without delay.

It added that it considers any behaviour that undermines women to be unacceptable and defended the need to eradicate such conduct from all areas of public life. It therefore demanded the resignation of the VOX councillor and, pending that, that the mayor immediately revoke his delegated responsibilities.

The Socialists also asked for clarification as to when the mayor first became aware of the situation and why no measures were taken at the time to protect the affected employee, who ultimately left her post as a result of the alleged events. They stressed that the mayor is responsible for the functioning and public image of the local council as well as for guaranteeing the wellbeing and safety of all municipal staff.

Finally, the statement called for the immediate activation of the council’s internal protocol for cases of sexual harassment and for all measures provided to protect the alleged victim to be applied, pointing out that, in addition to the alleged episode of sexual violence, the woman has also suffered economic consequences following the loss of her job.

In response, councillor José Marcos Pons issued a statement on the VOX Jávea Facebook account in which he categorically denied the allegations made against him. “Given the recent information published by certain media outlets, I feel obliged to categorically deny the accusations and to clarify the facts of which I have been maliciously accused,” he said, adding that VOX’s internal investigative committee, tasked with analysing the complaint with objectivity and rigour, had concluded its investigation and determined that there was no harassment or inappropriate conduct on his part.

“The accusations and falsehoods published about me therefore not only fail to reflect the truth, but also respond to a deliberate attempt to damage my public image and that of the party to which I belong,” he added. For this reason, he announced that he intends to pursue legal action “to defend my honour, the truth, and the integrity of both myself and VOX. I trust that justice and public opinion will be able to distinguish between substantiated facts and smear campaigns whose sole aim is to confuse and manipulate“.