Xavier Amor will replace Eduard Rivas Mateo as chief of staff to Catalan President Salvador Illa, according to sources from the Catalan government. Amor currently serves as secretary for Local Governments and Relations with Aran, attached to the Department of the Presidency.
Rivas is leaving the post voluntarily, following a judicial investigation into alleged embezzlement originating from his previous tenure as mayor of Esparreguera. The Catalan government has stressed that the change is not a dismissal, describing it instead as a personal decision that was difficult for Rivas after several months of investigation.
Illa had maintained his confidence in Rivas when the investigation became public in April. The president thanked him for his commitment and services when approving his replacement.
The case concerns the Foundation for Labour Inclusion, based in Esparreguera, where Rivas served as a trustee alongside four other mayors from the comarca. The organisation provides employment for people with intellectual disabilities and those at risk of exclusion or vulnerability. Investigators are examining whether part of the money allocated through public contracts may have been used to cover private expenses connected to members of the organisation. Several arrests were made, including that of the foundation’s manager and his wife, who also worked for the entity. Rivas’s mobile phone was seized.
The investigation’s secrecy was lifted on October 29. Rivas submitted his resignation as Illa’s chief of staff the following day, October 30. In statements cited by the Catalan government, he said that honour and public ethics had guided his actions and that he was convinced he had always acted lawfully.
Rivas said he did not want any doubt surrounding the investigation to interfere with the responsibilities he had held. He also confirmed that he would continue working for citizens through the Catalan Socialist Party, or PSC.
Amor will leave his current government position to join Illa’s core team. His appointment is due to be approved by the Catalan government’s executive council on Tuesday.
A PSC figure, Amor is also a member of the Catalan Parliament. He served as mayor of Pineda de Mar for 17 years, from 2007 to 2024, after spending eight years as a councillor, and chaired the Federation of Municipalities of Catalonia between 2013 and 2019.
Sources: La Vanguardia.