A jury has found the Mayor of Almuñecar, Juan Carlos Benavides, not guilty of the charge of misappropriation of public funds.
The prosecution had been asking for a ban from public office for two years and a fine of €27,000.
The case dated back to October when the Mayor made a denuncia against the former mayor, Juan Luis González Montoro, for inaugurating a square and launching a magazine in the run-up to elections, something expressly forbidden under the electoral rules of the Junta de Andalucia.
Municipal funds were used to finance the legal action and the case hinged on whether the Mayor acted in an official capacity, as alleged by the prosecution, or as an individual, as maintained by the defence.