Eduard Rivas resigned last Friday from his position as Chief of Staff to Salvador Illa at the Presidency of the Generalitat. He will be succeeded by Xavier Amor, who previously served as the Secretary for Local Governments within the Catalan executive. The announcement, made via an official statement, comes after months of investigation into Rivas regarding irregularities in public contracting dating back to his time as mayor of Esparreguera in Barcelona.
The Generalitat's communication does not explicitly detail the reasons for the resignation of Illa's right-hand man, though it notes that the Catalan police, Mossos d'Esquadra, had seized Rivas's mobile phone since January. The investigation became public in April. The official text states that Xavier Amor will replace Eduard Rivas, thanking him for his commitment and services, while noting he leaves the post by his own decision.
The judicial procedure affecting the former Chief of Staff concerns agreements signed with the Foundation for Labor Inclusion (FIL) during his mayoralty. A court in Martorell is investigating these irregularities. In 2025, the Mossos d'Esquadra conducted a separate operation involving several raids, including one at the FIL, which led to the detention of three individuals linked to the entity. Rivas served as a trustee of the foundation alongside four other mayors from the Baix Llobregat district when the alleged irregularities occurred.
The resignation follows the lifting of the secrecy order on the preliminary investigation last Thursday, although the departure was not made public until Monday. Since the investigation became known in April, President Illa maintained his confidence in Rivas, confirming that he was willing to collaborate absolutely with justice to clarify the facts as quickly as possible.
Sources close to Rivas state that he insists on his innocence, arguing that he always acted legally as both mayor and trustee of the FIL. These sources add that the resignation aims to prevent any "shadow of doubt" regarding the Government. His successor, Xavier Amor, born in Pineda de Mar in 1975, has a long history in local government. He served as mayor of his municipality for over 17 years until 2024 and presided over the Federation of Municipalities of Catalonia between 2013 and 2019.
Sources: El País Portada.