Former Mecano founder Nacho Cano arrested in Madrid for allegedly hiring immigrants without papers

ADVERTISING

The Spanish National Police have arrested Nacho Cano, a renowned music producer and former member of Mecano, the legendary Spanish band behind the hit “Hijo de la luna”.

The arrest came after allegations that Cano had employed undocumented immigrants in his current musical production “Malinche”, which tells the love story between the Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés and the Mexican slave.

Cano was subsequently released and is now awaiting a summons from the court investigating the matter.

After his release, Cano gave a press conference in which he explained that a scholarship program did not mean taking away Spaniards’ jobs.

“Sometime last year, Jimena Carraza from Casa de México called me and told me that they were going to create a scholarship program and that they had decided to give Malinche three. Since we had planned the premiere in Mexico next year, we expanded the scholarship program to 19 people. I go to Mexico, we do the casting and the people are selected. We are not talking about bringing in workers to take away people’s jobs.”

He added that the Mexicans participating in “Malinche” receive a salary of 500 euros per month and live in a dormitory together with the teachers.

“We have created this scholarship program in collaboration with the school to ensure that everything is developed properly,” Cano added. “At no point are the staff replaced; they come to complement.”

However, Cano did not end the matter and introduced a conspiracy theory about his arrest.

“I am not the criminal – it is the police who must be investigated,” he explained. “All of this was staged by the police. It is like the Stasi. It is a dirty and disgusting operation.”

He explained that two weeks ago, twelve police officers arrived at the school where classes are being held and that the officers took the scholarship recipients to the police station.

“There is no need for 12 police officers unless you want to oppress and coerce people,” he added.

Cano further stated that his arrest was a “deliberate” action to divert attention from Begoña Gómez, the wife of Spanish socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who is currently on trial.

Gómez received a court summons for July 5 in connection with an investigation into corruption in her business activities. The summons followed the initiation of an investigation against Gómez in April, which the court said relates to “the alleged crimes of corruption in the private sector and abuse of influence.”

Cano also reiterated that he was friends with the leader of the conservative Popular Party of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, which he said led to his arrest.

“My closeness to Isabel Díaz Ayuso is the key to everything.”

“You have to draw attention to something other than the accusation against the president’s wife. I am a friend of Ayuso and I am not a leftist because I am not an idiot. All this is part of the agenda to attack me.”

“If they find me dead in the gutter, you’ll know who it was,” he added.

It is not the first scandal that the Spanish artist has caused with his piece “Malinche”.

ADVERTISING

While promoting the film before the premiere, Cano gave an interview to Spanish newspaper El Mundo in which he said: “If we had not discovered America, Hitler would have won World War II.” He added: “Thanks to Christopher Columbus or Hernán Cortés, today we have the iPhone” and “Mexico, Peru, Ecuador and El Salvador should be grateful because if it had been the English, they would not have left a single person alive” – ​​in reference to the arrival in America.

Cano also caused controversy over the 30-meter-high Aztec pyramid he wanted to build for the show. The project was to provide over 1,000 seats and a 400-space car park in the Hortaleza district. However, locals were not happy with the plans and started a petition with around 20,000 signatures to stop the construction of the pyramid and the car park.

Additional sources • El Pais, El Mundo, Hortaleza Vecinal Periodical