POLICE are investigating if the culprits who broke into the Marbella courthouse were common criminals looking for easy money or if a more sinister motive exists.

POLICE are investigating if the culprits who broke into the Marbella courthouse were common criminals looking for easy money or if a more sinister motive exists. Just days before an inventory was due to take place at the courthouse, thieves struck twice in a period of 24 hours.

The first occurred in the early hours of Saturday when thieves gained access to the building after breaking a window to the Public Prosecutor’s office, located on the first floor.

The office had been turned-over, although is has not been possible to determine whether documents have disappeared as the inventory was only scheduled to start this Monday.

The assailants had also forced open the vending machines and stolen the money within.

Police suspect that this could have been a diversionary tactic to hide the true purpose of the break-in. On the first break-in the alarm did not go off, even though the building has sensors in all the corridors and stairways. Investigations are underway to determine if it was due to a power outage or if thieves deactivated it.

Then in the early hours of Sunday, the building’s burglar alarm was activated, but when the National Police showed up they found no evidence of theft.

All indications are that someone forced the door leading to the prison cells in the basement to the building, but took flight when the alarm was raised, according to sources close to the investigation.

Police have not ruled out that the second break-in is related to the first. This is not the first time that Marbella courts have experienced an incident of this nature.

In 2001, a total of 15 case files against former Mayor Jesus Gil were either removed or erased from computers.