MADRID, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Spanish police arrested 23 people including the mayor of Marbella in connection with alleged real estate corruption, the Interior Ministry announced on Thursday.

    In an anti-corruption drive called Operation Malaya, police have seized at least 2.4 billion euros (2.9 billion dollars) worth of property, ranging from artworks to race horses, as well as antique weapons and luxury vehicles, Spanish Interior Minister Jose Antonio Alonso said in a statement.

    Marisol Yague, the mayor of Mediterranean resort city Marbella, was charged with real estate fraud and misuse of public funds, along with 18 other public officials.

    Yague insisted that she was innocent, saying that any errors were unintentional accidents buried in the 500 to 600 documents she signs each day.

    In March 2005, Spanish authorities demolished a network of international money laundering in Marbella, arresting 60 people of different nationalities. Enditem