José Ramon “Nene” Barral died today, as confirmed by various sources consulted. The historic councilor of Ribadumia, who had to leave the mayor’s office in 2001 after being arrested on suspicion of tobacco smuggling, died in Vilanova de Arousa at the age of 79. He lives at home in Corón.
No mourning is allowed at the funeral. The funeral will be held tomorrow, Friday, at 5 p.m. in Andras, with burial to follow in Ribadumia Parish Cemetery.
Barral became mayor in the 1983 municipal elections and was a front-runner in the Alianza People race. Back under the abbreviation People’s Party, he regained an absolute majority for several consecutive terms until his arrest in 2001.
No sentence
An arrest for tobacco smuggling forced his resignation, but he was never convicted of the crime. Not even judgment. The investigation of this case is one of the longest in Spain, with a total of more than 20 years in court. The proceedings, which had more than a dozen defendants, finally faced an oral trial phase in 2022, a year ago. The issue had been raised previously but could not be revived since then, followed by a series of postponements, the last of which came a few months ago precisely due to Barral himself suffering from a serious illness.
In the process, the court ultimately withdrew the content of the wiretap, which was one of the main prosecution evidences handled by the prosecutor’s office. With Barral’s death, his criminal liability evaporated, so whether he would be convicted in the case that marked his career will forever remain to be resolved.
In 2016, the former mayor admitted tax crimes during a trial in Pontevedra A Parda court in an agreement involving the payment of fines for concealing assets from the public treasury, but he avoided a request for jail and received approve. His daughters were acquitted.
Ribadumian Independents
After resigning from the mayor’s office in 2001, he also left the People’s Party. He will return to politics in an attempt to seize the baton from his old party and form a new organization promoted by himself – the Independence Party of Ribadumia (IR). In the 2003 municipal elections, his new party achieved this goal by just a few votes: a small vote difference that was disputed in court and ruled in favor of the Popular Party.
Now without Baral, IR ultimately gave up on the 2011 election but reappeared in 2015 and won the mayoralty alongside incumbent David Castro, who is now integrated People’s Party.
The city council made the statement publicly this afternoon, along with a display of black crepe and flags flying at half-mast as a mark of condolences:
Ribadumia is faced with the sad news of the death of José Ramón Barral Martínez, better known as Nene Barral (Nené Barral), he is the mayor of our city. Either your journey leaves a Valero place and reminds us of your dedication to public service, or your commitment to Ribadumia over the years and your concern for all communities. During his tenure as mayor, he promoted the Meloria project and shared affection and respect with all his neighbors as he was deeply embedded in their hearts. The Ribadumia Council joined the Baral family in expressing its gratitude to Nene for her two years of dedication and delivery. Recognize everything that represents our city government, from avatars to black crepe flags flying at half-mast. During these difficult times, the local government expresses its sincerest condolences to the Barral family and their loved ones, as well as to all those who have suffered a loss. His memory will always live on in each of Riba Doumia’s works. Rest in peace Nene.