The PSOE councillor in the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Benjamín Perdomo, has defended the €5.6 million claim made by his family for the occupation of a property in Órzola. Perdomo asserts that the previous island government was close to signing an agreement for half a million, but the current administration rejected it.
Benjamín Perdomo, PSOE councillor in the Cabildo of Lanzarote, has broken his silence regarding the €5.6 million lawsuit his family has filed against the first island corporation for the occupation of a property in Órzola. In statements to the programme "A Buena Hora" on Crónicas Radio, the socialist politician stated that the conflict dates back to 2015, when a judicial process began that concluded in 2022 with a ruling in favour of his family.
According to Perdomo, the ruling determined that the Lanzarote and La Graciosa Water Consortium illegally occupied the entirety of a 178,000 square metre property, owned by his grandfather, to install a water reservoir. "The ruling stated that the Consortium occupied a property of 178,000 square metres in its entirety and was obliged to return the property in full, not just a piece," the councillor explained.
The agreement reached in 2022 with the previous island government, led by María Dolores Corujo (PSOE), included the purchase of the property and the waiver of future claims. However, Perdomo claims that at the last moment there was a delay due to disagreements over who should sign the cheques, and the arrival of the new government of Oswaldo Betancort (CC) in 2023 definitively halted the agreement.
"The agreement was going to be signed but when it was about to be signed, a problem was detected regarding who had to sign the cheques, it was delayed again and that’s where it stopped. Then the new administration arrived," Perdomo recounted. The councillor added that Betancort personally informed him that they would review the documentation, but they ultimately decided not to sign and opted to build an alternative pond on an adjacent property, a project that, according to Perdomo, has never been executed.
"They announced an adjacent property that would grant them the land for free to make a pond, but it cannot be done there; moreover, on that adjacent property, they have already had demolition rulings for cisterns," Perdomo denounced, emphasising that the Island Plan only allows for the construction of a pond on his family's original parcel.
In the absence of an agreement, Perdomo's family filed a conciliation lawsuit in 2025 for lost profits, claiming €5.6 million. "The Cabildo already has a ruling that has condemned it to return the reservoirs, the pipes, and the entire property, so it is very difficult for us to lose," the councillor asserted, who believes that the current island government should explain why it did not accept the previous agreement of half a million euros.
"They will have to ask this government group why we were satisfied with half a million and now we are asking for €4.6 million," Perdomo quipped, referring to the difference between the initial offer and the current claim. The councillor insisted that the decision not to sign the agreement has created a bigger problem for the Cabildo, which now faces a multi-million euro claim.
In another matter, Perdomo also referred to the situation of the Centres for Art, Culture and Tourism (CACT) of the Cabildo, criticising the spending on sponsorships for forums. "Next year there will be union elections in the Centres, and we will see what the staff supports," he warned, although he acknowledged that he does not know the exact amount spent on sponsorships because "they have not asked him."
The controversy over the Órzola reservoir has marked the legislature in Lanzarote, with mutual accusations between the PSOE and the CC government. While Perdomo defends the legality of his family's claim, the Cabildo insists that the agreement was not signed due to a lack of legal guarantees. The conciliation lawsuit, filed in 2025, is now in the hands of the administration, which must decide whether to accept or reject the claim.
For the residents of Órzola, the lack of a water reservoir remains a recurring problem, especially during drought periods. Perdomo asserts that the solution lies in recovering the original property and building the pond there, but the current island government maintains its stance of not conceding to the claim.
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