Eduard Rivas, until recently chief of staff to Catalan President Salvador Illa, is being investigated over the alleged manipulation of public contracts during his time as mayor of Esparreguera. The inquiry focuses on a cleaning contract worth around €4 million and awarded to the Foundation for Social Inclusion (FIL), where Rivas served as a trustee alongside other mayors from the Baix Llobregat area.
A judge is examining phone conversations between Rivas and Jordi Minguito, who was then FIL’s director general. According to the investigation, Rivas allegedly shared details of the tender conditions in advance and told Minguito before the decision that the foundation would receive the contract.
The case began in early 2025 after foundation members filed an internal complaint over the alleged misuse of its resources. An investigation by the Mossos d’Esquadra anti-corruption unit led to the arrests of three people linked to FIL, including Minguito, over the suspected diversion of public funds for private expenses. Investigators later expanded the inquiry to include Esparreguera’s contracts with the foundation.
Police arrested Rivas in January 2026 and seized his phone, according to sources cited in the report. He was released and placed under investigation. The allegations against him are part of a separate case file that remained confidential until the previous Friday. After the case was unsealed, Rivas resigned from his post in the Catalan government. The Generalitat said he was leaving by his own decision and named Xavier Amor as his replacement.
Esparreguera awarded FIL a street-cleaning contract in 2020 worth €750,000 including VAT for three years. The agreement was extended for one year under its original terms and then renewed three more times on a compulsory basis. Police requested information from the town council covering 2022 to 2024. Rivas was mayor from 2015 until 2024, when he joined Illa’s staff, and left his position as a FIL trustee when he stepped down as mayor. Rivas’s lawyers declined to comment, and attempts to obtain his response were unsuccessful.
The inquiry is also examining whether FIL resources were used for private expenses unrelated to its work supporting the employment of people with disabilities or at risk of social exclusion. The foundation operates across the south of Barcelona and has contracts with local administrations and companies. Its trustees include the mayors of Esparreguera, Olesa, Abrera, Sant Esteve Sesrovires and Collbató.
At a government briefing, spokesperson Sílvia Paneque said Illa had expressed his appreciation for Rivas and praised his honesty and integrity. She did not directly address questions about whether the president continued to trust his former chief of staff. The Catalan government said Xavier Amor, who already held a role within its structure, would take over.
Sources: El País Portada.