The Council of Mallorca has started the deadline to compensate the former concessionaire of the Sóller tunnel
The Council of Mallorca has announced that the period has begun to compensate the former concessionaire of the Sóller tunnel for the void rescue of the toll. This decision is based on a ruling by the Supreme Court that declared the bailout to be ‘null and void’.
The term of two months for the execution of the sentence
The Administrative Disputes Court 3 of Palma has notified the Council of Mallorca of the sentence and has established a deadline of two months for the execution of the decision (https://www.softcatala.org/resum-de-textos-en- Catalan/). During this period, the Council must determine the amount it considers appropriate to compensate the concessionaire company.
The compensation process and possible repercussions
Once the Council has proposed an amount, the concessionary company will have the opportunity to present an alternative if it deems it necessary. The final decision will rest with the court, and this decision can be appealed to the Superior Court and the Supreme Court. This could delay the compensation process for years. However, the court can also order an interim enforcement, in which the Council would have to pay the proposed amount immediately, while the rest would be pending the final resolution.
The Council of Mallorca seeks to minimize the economic impact
The insular Councilor for Territory, Fernando Rubio, has stated that the Council will fight to minimize the economic impact of the sentence on public coffers. Rubio has criticized the decision of the previous government team to carry out the early bailout, saying that it has been a costly decision for citizens (https://www.softcatala.org/resum-de-textos-en-catala /). According to Rubio, if he had waited five years, the cost to citizens would have been zero.
There have been no previous negotiations with the former concessionaire
So far, no previous contacts or negotiations have been maintained with the former concessionaire of the Sóller tunnel. The amount the company will claim as compensation has not yet been disclosed. During the process, the company had estimated the damage caused at 30 million euros, but the Council has only paid 16 million so far. This means that the Council still has to pay the remaining 14 million.