The Mayor of Villanueva de la Concepción, Málaga province, Ernesto Silva, is one of three people arrested by the Guardia Civil in connection with possible corruption in the municipality.
The other detainees are Juan Francisco Hurtado, a professor of Administrative Law at Málaga University, and an as yet unnamed lawyer.
Guardia Civil officers have seized numerous boxes full of documents from the Council offices as the investigation into possible corruption continues.