Julián Felipe Muñoz Palomo (; 24 November 1947 – 24 September 2024) was a Spanish politician, known for his controversial tenure as mayor of

Marbella Marbella ( , , ) is a city and municipality in southern Spain, belonging to the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is part of the Costa del Sol and is the headquarters of the Association of Municipalities of the re ...

and for having been the sentimental partner of singer

Isabel Pantoja María Isabel Pantoja Martín (; born August 2, 1956) is a Spanish singer. She was born in the Triana district of Seville, Spain. She has released more than a dozen albums throughout a career spanning many decades, mostly of '' copla'' genre, ...

Life and career

Muñoz studied law and married Maite Zaldívar. In 1991 he became an important member of the Independent Liberal Group (GIL), reaching second place in the electoral list in 1999. In 2002, following the resignation of

Jesús Gil Gregorio Jesús Gil y Gil (12 March 1933 – 14 May 2004) was a Spanish businessman and politician. He served as Mayor of Marbella between 1991 and 2002, and presided for a 16-year tenure as president of the football club Atlético de Madrid ...

due to his involvement in a corruption case, Muñoz took over the duties of the Mayor of

until he officially obtained the post on 2 May 2002. In 2003 the GIL, with Muñoz as their leader, obtained an absolute majority in the Marbella town council. On 13 August of that year, Muñoz lost the mayorship after a motion of censure driven by a group of seven defectors from GIL, after which Marisol Yagüe became the new mayor. Muñoz was arrested in July 2006 in the second phase of

Operation Malaya Operation Malaya () is a Spanish anti-corruption campaign in the southern resort city of Marbella. It began in 2006 and it is being carried out by the '' Policía Nacional'' under the direction of Judge Miguel Ángel Torres. The operation, now in ...

, in the most important case of

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

in Spain up to then. Muñoz was convicted of several cases of

bribery Bribery is the corrupt solicitation, payment, or Offer and acceptance, acceptance of a private favor (a bribe) in exchange for official action. The purpose of a bribe is to influence the actions of the recipient, a person in charge of an official ...

embezzlement Embezzlement (from Anglo-Norman, from Old French ''besillier'' ("to torment, etc."), of unknown origin) is a type of financial crime, usually involving theft of money from a business or employer. It often involves a trusted individual taking ...

and breach of trust. After nearly two years behind bars he was released from prison in 2008 but was arrested again in 2013 for other offenses related to Operation Malaya. Due to poor health stemming from his having

diabetes mellitus type 1 Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body's immune system destroys pancreatic cells (beta cells). In healthy persons, beta cells produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone required ...

he was in a less restricted degree of incarceration since May 2016. Muñoz died from lung cancer at the Costa del Sol Hospital in Marbella on 24 September 2024, at the age of 76.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Munoz, Julian 1948 births 2024 deaths Spanish politicians convicted of crimes Spanish prisoners and detainees Liberal Independent Group politicians Mayors of places in Andalusia Municipal councillors in the province of Málaga Politicians convicted of embezzlement People convicted of bribery Deaths from lung cancer in Spain