I’m Against the Belt.. How does one become corrupt?

How does one become corrupt? How does an organization become corrupt? How far can one go to resist the temptation of corruption that pervades everyone around them? The novel #AnaContraGürtel is inspired by true events with meticulous accuracy…

How does one become corrupt? How does an organization become corrupt? How far can one go when everyone around them succumbs to the temptation to dip their hand into the treasury?

The novel #Ana_Contra_Gürtel is inspired by documented true events. It tells the story of a woman, the first to expose corruption in the Gürtel affair, who witnessed the influx of money into a city west of Madrid as a result of real estate speculation, and how people gradually became entangled in a complex web of corruption. Instead of going with the flow or turning a blind eye, she decided to report it.

The ending is neither pleasant nor meaningful: she lost everything except, perhaps, her dignity.

This is not just the story of one of the most notorious cases of institutional corruption in recent years, nor even the story of a specific city council or political party, because crime, moral decay, and abuse of power transcend party affiliations. It’s a tale of how corruption is born and spreads like a cancer. It’s told with great skill in the first person, in a humorous and satirical style, and with hints of those distinctive features of Spanish culture: the bizarre, the absurd, the cunning, and even the vulgar.

One of the questions the book poses is: Is corruption inherent in the system? Is it part of our cultural heritage? And, most importantly: What would you do if you were in their shoes?