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3 February 2006
MADRID – Thirteen people are to face charges over a scandal surrounding one of Spain’s most popular tourist attractions, the Alhambra.
On Friday, the police in Granada announced that two people who worked on the gates of the 13th century Islamic palace had also been charged with embezzlement.
The arrests bring the total number of suspects linked to the ticket scam to 13 – 12 Alhambra workers and a travel agent.
It is believed that the suspects were distributing unofficial tickets to enter the palace and its Generalife gardens. Police have been investigating the allegations since 28 December, but so far there have been few details released about the scale of the embezzlement.
The Alhambra is visited by around two million people from all over the world every year. Until now, it had appeared that tickets were extremely strictly controlled, with limits put on the number of visitors who can enter at any one time.
The Alhambra management is now reviewing its ticketing process and ways to avoid such a crime occurring in the future.
[Copyright EFE with Expatica]
Subject: Spanish news