20 pure breed horses were left to die from hunger in stables in Ulea

20 pure breed horses were left to die from hunger in stables in Ulea, Murcia, and their current condition is reported to be critical in some cases.
The animals belonged to some Colombian drug traffickers who were arrested and simply left the animals abandoned afterwards. The whole matter has now been denounced by ecologist and animal rights organisations who have now informed the Government delegation in Murcia.The story was broken by the VegaMedia Press which also reports that in the same finca there are also a pair of abandoned exotic pigs, three peacocks, three dogs and dozens of birds, all of them in a critical condition.

Spanish lawyer G.J.S., admitted that Malaga public auctions are controlled by ‘mafia-type’ criminal rings

Spanish lawyer admitted that public auctions conducted throughout
the Province of Malaga, Spain are controlled by ‘mafia-type’ criminal rings.
The grip on the so-called ‘public’ auction of properties is such that no outsiders, whether in business or as individuals can get near the gavel’s fall. This allegation comes after many attacks on the various Spanish systems. Almost unilaterally, they fail to live up to the expectations of their northern European visitors and residents from whom so much wealth has been derived.The general face of friendliness in Spain, while genuinely displayed by the majority, belies the underlying belly of corruption and belligerence on the part of the judiciary to clear the worst elements from society.Sadly, for the majority, many of whom still live in the shadow of Franco’s regime and the ongoing corruption, the reality is that they turn the other cheek. The burden of combining the ordeals of modern-day life while dealing daily with antiquated bureaucratic systems leaves many with a permanent resignation to life’s troubles, typified by the ‘Spanish Shrug’Over development and underinvestment in basic infrastructure make unhappy bedfellows. Following the boom years, Spain’s property market, despite recent claims to the contrary is visibly collapsing. Consequently more and more properties are coming under the hammer.Many absentee owners may be unaware that auction proceedings can take place without their prior knowledge due in part to the belligerence and outdated practices of officials allied to inadequate communication especially in the rural areas.Those wishing to salvage something from this creeping financial disaster are advised to ensure their property is not sent to auction where the sharks are having a feast and the lawyers dare not tread.

Courts in Málaga are taking as long as four years to hear cases

Courts in Málaga are taking as long as four years to hear the most simple of cases, according to a report in the Diario Sur newspaper today. The number is noted by the General Council for Judicial Power, the body which oversees the judiciary in Spain, which notes that things are particularly bad in Estepona, Marbella and Fuengirola.
The other side of the coin is in Antequera where cases are generally completed in some eight to ten months.The Deacon of the Málaga Lawyers College, Manuel Camas, noted that the situation was worse than a year ago along the Costa del Sol, and that in his opinion, prove that resources in the province are seriously lacking.

Double whammy due to hit Costa del Sol

Families planning a summer holiday abroad face paying up to a fifth more than they did last year.Researchers from price comparison website Travelsupermarket.com compared popular packages for 2008 with similar ones from last year.
They found that a two-week self-catering break for a family of four (two adults and two children) in Benalmadena on the Costa Del Sol has risen by £246 to £1,504.
The rise is blamed on the double whammy of rocketing jet fuel prices, which have gone up by 80 per cent in the past year, and a weak pound against the euro - last year £1 was worth 1.5 euros, this year under 1.2.It means that not only are flights more expensive, but so too are hotels, and food and drink when you get there. the cost of a hotel in Benalmadena has shot up from £700 to £855.

Mediterráneo Casino in La Vila Joiosa in tax fraud

Mediterráneo Casino in La Vila Joiosa has been declaring five fewer tables to the authorities than it has actually be running since 1999. The allowed the company to escape and estimated 1.1 million € in municipal taxes.The casino is one of the largest in Spain and has been paying taxes on 15 tables instead of 20. Director, Antonio Baraja Mayordomo, told El País that he had no idea how many tables were in use, but claimed all was legal. Currently the casino pays about 450,000 € in municipal taxes a year. A new large hotel and 4,000 new homes are now planned on land adjoining the premises.

Legal action started against the promoter, Ellamare Holdings S.L. which now faces a fine as large as 100,000 €.

Manilva Town Hall has ordered the immediate halt to building on the front line of the beach in an area of land not suitable for building because it is catalogued as being of environmental interest in the province’s protection plan.
The land concerned is known as Punta Chullera, and the local environment councillor, Emilio López, has also ordered water and power supply companies to stop servicing the area.Legal action will now be started against the promoter, Ellamare Holdings S.L. which now faces a fine as large as 100,000 €.
Those who want to challenge the situation have 15 days to do so.

Benalmadena coach crash that killed nine tourists from Finland drunk driver was travelling at 155km an hour

Jesús GR, the driver responsible for a coach crash on the A-7 motorway near Benalmadena on April 19th that killed nine tourists from Finland and left 42 others injured, was travelling at 155km an hour, according to the conclusions of the Guardia Civil's Accident Reconstruction team. The driver, who was transferred to jail following his eventual release from hospital, tested over the limit for alcohol and initially claimed to have been going no faster than 130km an hour. The coach transporting the party of tourists to Málaga airport at the end of their holiday, was calculated to have been travelling at 99.9km an hour at the moment of impact.

65 year old man was arrested in Benidorm over the death of his 53 year old wife, who fell from a 12th floor balcony

65 year old man was arrested in Benidorm over the death of his 53 year old wife, who fell from a 12th floor balcony at their home in the Cénit building on the calle La Pipa . It seems that the victim had denounced her partner for domestic violence on a number of previous occasions, but had never applied for a restraining order which meant they still lived together. Autopsy results confirm that the woman died in the fall, but it was impossible to establish if she had been pushed off the balcony.
A neighbour explained that the couple had moved to Benidorm from San Sebastián around a year ago, and confirmed that they quarrelled often, that both were heavy drinkers, and that the victim "had seemed very depressed recently."
She also confirmed that the pair had quarelled on Sunday evening and that the police had been called to their home. When asked why the victim had never applied for a restraining order, her neighbour explained that it was impossible because she could not afford the flat on her own.

Philip Michael H ,Darrel Lee A accused of putting their hands up the skirts of three air hostesses several times during a flight from the UK.

According to a report in El Mundo, two British men - Philip Michael H (32) and Darrel Lee A (37) - were arrested by Guardia Civil officers at Son Sant Joan airport in Palma de Mallorca. They are accused of putting their hands up the skirts of three air hostesses several times during a flight from the UK.

Yulisa Antonia Pérez from the Dominican Republic, whose corpse was found on a rubbish tip near Arrecife stepfather arrested

stepfather of 18 year old Yulisa Antonia Pérez from the Dominican Republic, whose corpse was found on a rubbish tip near Arrecife (Lanzarote) at the end of last year, five days after she was reported missing, has been re-arrested and charged with her murder. The suspect was first taken into protective custody on the day Yulisa's body was found after being accused of her murder by some within the local Dominican community, who were threatening to lynch him. Yulisa's partially-buried body was found by a local man out walking his dog on November 13th and the autopsy revealed that she died of ashpyxiation. However, apart from having her hands tied behind her back, there were no other signs of violence, and she had not been raped.
It seems that Yulisa's mother, Irma (photo), had moved in with the suspect around six months before Yulisa was killed. The family lived in the Los Geranios district of the island's capital.

Salamanca matador Javier Valverde is reported to be recovering satisfactorily after being seriously gored at Estepona bullring

Salamanca matador Javier Valverde is reported to be recovering satisfactorily after being seriously gored in the right buttock yesterday by the second bull - his first - of the afternoon at Estepona bullring. The matador underwent emergency surgery at the ringside infirmary, where his team presented him with one of the bull's ears, before being transferred to the Costa del Sol Hospital in Marbella. According to his doctors, Valverde sustained three deep wounds (18cm, 20cm and 25cm) that caused serious damage to the matador's gluteus maximus and biceps femoris muscles.

Two youths were arrested yesterday after a 37 year old man from Vallmoll was stabbed to death outside a Reus night club

Two youths were arrested yesterday after a 37 year old man from Vallmoll was stabbed to death outside a Reus night club during the early hours of Saturday morning.
The arrests were made on the basis of a statement of a third youth, who turned up at Reus police station on Sunday morning after hearing a radio news bulletin, saying that a man had been killed in the town overnight and fearing that one of his two companions may have been responsible. It seems that the victim was stabbed after a row about him urinating on the pavement. The informer, who was taken to the police station by his father, was later released without charge. Other eye-witnesses claim that it took more than twenty minutes for the first ambulance to arrive on the scene. Three days' official mourning have been declared by Vallmoll town council, and around 300 people observed a one-minute's silence outside the Town Hall yesterday.

Helldorado as Costa del Sol's biggest estate agents file for voluntary insolvency

Costa del Sol's biggest estate agents has filed for voluntary insolvency has deepened the gloom over southern Spain's property market. Viva Estates was one of the area's biggest success stories. It was set up ten years ago by an Englishman, Chris McCarthy, using the cricketer Ian Botham to raise its profile and within a few years operated from 15 offices. In the past 12 months, all but one of those offices has closed and more than 100 staff have lost their jobs.
Half the 80,000 estate agents in business at the beginning of 2007 were closed by the end of the year. Demand for cement is at its lowest level in 11 years as developers stop building. And yet by the end of this year, there will be an estimated one million unsold properties on the Spanish market. Another two million lie empty. Add to that the global credit crunch and mounting Spanish interest rates, and as one real estate agent put it this week: "It's like the UK situation on steroids."

Juan Pedro G, former leader of Ojén, is on trial this week charged with crimes against the environment

Former mayor is facing prison for agreeing to the installation of a rubbish dump, which resulted in the pollution of a nearby stream.
Juan Pedro G, former leader of Ojén, is on trial this week charged with crimes against the environment. Due to the location of the dump, the mouth of the brook known as El Arroyo Segundo was contaminated.In addition to a custodial sentence, the ex-mayor could also be forced to pay the costs of cleaning up the stream.

1,000-square metre plantation of cannabis sativa (hemp) in Dos Hermanas

Two brothers, M.P.M. and F.P.M. owners of a 1,000-square metre plantation of cannabis sativa (hemp) in Dos Hermanas (Sevilla) claimed in court last week that the bushes, planted in perfectly straight lines and equipped with a drip irrigation system, provided shade for their 80 valuable fighting cocks and chickens. They denied cultivating the hemp for drugs and explained that the plants were both male and female unlike those grown for cannabis, which are exclusively female. The defence counsel for the brothers, also maintained that according to an initial valuation the 1,200 kilos of plants were worth only 231 euros, although a later estimate placed it at 2,800 euros. If found guilty the brothers face sentences of up to nine years.

Corruption case prosecution will be asking for a six-year jail sentence for Hidalgo and Gibert

The former mayor of Andraitx, Eugenio Hidalgo, together with Jaime Gibert, the former Andraitx planning inspector, Jaime Massot, an ex-Balearic government planning chief, and a former legal advisor, Ignacio Mir, are expected to be present on the first day of the proceedings.The prosecution will be asking for a six-year jail sentence for Hidalgo and Gibert, with two years for Massot and 12 months for Mir.
This case came to light 18 months ago when the Guardia Civil serious fraud squad launched an operation called ‘Voramar’ which included a raid on Andraitx Town Hall and various properties and offices in Palma.
This investigation really did open a can of worms and all kinds of planning irregularities and corruption scandals were uncovered, which hit the front pages of newspapers all over Spain. The enquiry also resulted in the ruling political party, the Partido Popular, losing control of Andraitx Council and their defeat in the local elections last year.corruption case involving Andraitx Council has begun this week.

400,000 mainly small investors in Spain had put their money in stamps, through programmes marketed by two companies, Afinsa and Forum.

With today being the second anniversary of Spain's biggest stamp scandal, it has emerged that the Spanish authorities have requested the cooperation of Gibraltar, via Interpol, to try and establish a possible Gibraltar link.
Over 400,000 mainly small investors in Spain had put their money in stamps, through programmes marketed by two companies, Afinsa and Forum. But, in total, they ended up losing 6 billion euros.Spanish police suspect that the ex directors of the two firms may have diverted money through a number of countries, including Gibraltar. They simulated the purchase and sale of stamps, but values were exaggerated artificially. The other countries mentioned include Andorra, Germany, Italy, Canada and the British Virgin Islands.It is also believed that there were cases of property corruption and money laundering on the Costa del Sol by those implicated.But progress has been slow on the judicial front. The traditional slowness of the Spanish justice system was worsened by a strike of officials.
Many of the investors affected keep asking why progress has been so slow and are demanding that something be done to enable them regain their savings and investments.

No help for theSpanish property market as Spain teeters on the brink .

The Spanish Minister for Tax and the Economy, Pedro Solbes, has said that he is against doing anything to halt the adjustment of ‘the excesses’ of the construction industry which had been seen over recent years.Earlier in the week the Minister admitted that the slow-down in the sector had been far quicker than he had expected, but his comments today before the Economy and Tax Commission in Congress show that he thinks the market needs to correct itself, so that investment in residential property ‘can return to normal levels of growth’. He said that the economy would return to growth levels of 3% in the year 2010.It means Solbes has dismissed a request from the Banks and Savings Banks Associations which had called on the Government to use the Pensions Fund to help finance the real estate and construction crisis. He said that a budgetary deficit would have to be assumed given the economic slowdown.Solbes also told the Economy and Tax Commission in Congress that the cabinet was going to reorder how the financial system and sector is supervised in Spain. He said that a ‘double control’ model already existed in other countries and that such a system here would see supervision divided between the Bank of Spain and the CNMV, The National Commission for Market Values, with the Bank checking on solvency levels and the CNMV checking on company behaviour.The PP spokesman on the Commission, Cristóbal Montoro, had said there was ‘nothing new under the son’ from the Minister.

six of the ex GIL councillors, in Marbella Town Hall between 1995 and 1999, have finally accepted the deal offered to them by the Prosecutors’ Office

The Málaga environmental prosecutors office has reach a pact with the ex Mayor, Julián Muñoz and five others, Marisa Alcalá, Dolores Zurdo, Rafael González, Manuel Calle and Mario Jiménez, who have each accepted a 12 month prison term on each charge. As there are dozens of charges in each case, the law establishes a maximum of triple the term imposed in each case, so the six are to serve a total three years each in prison.

Only six of the ex GIL councillors, in Marbella Town Hall between 1995 and 1999, have finally accepted the deal offered to them by the Prosecutors’ Office under which their cases will not have to go to court, but they will serve shorter prison terms.The defence lawyer Ernesto Osuna, who was acting for several of the ex councillors, commented that time already served by his clients in the Proinsa and Moansa real estate cases would de deducted from the three year total. He described the deal as ‘very positive’ and thought the ex councillors would start serving their time in September.In the case of Julián Muñoz, it means the ex Mayor will avoid nearly 100 additional cases for serving just one additional year in jail.The situation is more complicated for those councillors who were in the Marbella Town Hall between 1999 and 2003 who used the PGOU dating from 1998 in a fraudulent way – that’s to say they based their decisions on the PGOU despite it not having been approved by the Junta de Andalucía. This is the case for the ex-councillors, Tomás Reñones or Francisco Lendínez, who say they will only accept a fine and not a prison sentence. Defence sources say the Prosecutors’ Office is not prepared to change the deal for that group as yet, but that talks on these councillors are set to restart in June.

National Police today carried out raids against the Municipal Police force in the Madrid town of Coslada, headed by the Chief of the local police

National Police today carried out raids against the Municipal Police force in the Madrid town of Coslada, headed by the Chief of the local police Ginés Jiménez Buendía. Nearly 30 municipal policemen were arrested in the operation accused of taking part in the extortion of bars, shops and prostitutes in the town. Searches were carried out in both the Coslada police station and the homes of the police chief, and some of the others arrested, including the Mayor’s chauffer and bodyguard. El Mundo reports that the National Police has been investigating the town for several months, and this latest operation is the second stage of a case which started with investigations into a Romanian mafia linked to prostitution. There are reports of telephone taps being used to confirm the criminal activity.The Councillor for Safety in Coslada Town Hall, Antonio Murillo, is now trying to reorganise the remaining 159 police who remain. The Regional Madrid Government is to ask for ‘an urgent explanation’ from the Mayor of Coslada, Ángel Viveros Gutiérrez.

Arrested Joseph Henry B. member of the crime network involved in the drug shipments

Udyco sources indicate that the hashish was hidden in the bottom of containers in which the man's company, located in an industrial park in Mijas Costa, shipped high-voltage batteries to Great Britain via France. Police first became suspicious of the man's company when they noticed that, although there was little activity in the Mijas warehouse, the company made periodic shipments to France, which were then sent on to Britain through an international transport company. The Udyco team intercepted one of the shipments and found 700 kilos of hashish hidden in the bottom of the container. The police also seized two stolen vehicles they believe were used to transport the drugs to the Mijas warehouse. One of the vehicles still contained the sacks in which the hashish was brought to Spain from Morocco. The police will continue their investigation, in collaboration with Interpol and Europol, in an effort to identify additional members of the crime network involved in the drug shipments. They believe the group may also have been involved in illegal trafficking of heavy vehicles.

Spanish land prices are falling in response to the downturn in the property market.

price of urban land in Spain fell by a national average of 2.7% to 277 euros/m2 in the last quarter of 2007 compared to the previous year, according to figures from the ministry of housing. On a quarterly basis, land prices fell by 2.8%. Regional variations in falls were substantial, from as little as 1% in some provinces, to 41% in Leon, 33% in Alicante, 25% in Cordoba, 15% in Barcelona, and 13% in Malaga.Spanish land prices are falling in response to the downturn in the property market. Prices are also being pushed down by the number of developers with liquidity problems who are having to sell land to raise cash.The cost of land represents, on average, 30% of the cost of a new property, though in some areas like Madrid it can be 50% or more. Falling land prices should enable developers to lower their prices, but this will take time to happen, if at all. Developers have an estimated stock of 500,000 unsold newly built properties to sell before the fall in land prices will flow through to property buyers.

Illegal Hotel in Almeria will have to be torn down.

Spanish supreme court has just ruled that hotel built on the El Algorrobico beach in the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park in Almeria is illegal.
The hotel, promoted by a company called Azata del Sol, was the first stage in a plan to build a massive resort including the obligatory golf course plus residential development. In a natural park and on a protected beach it should never have gotten off the ground, but slimy local politicians helped to insure that the hotel was largely built before higher authorities put a stop to the work.
The Supreme Court has ruled the hotel is illegal because it is within 100 metres of the beach, and thus falls foul of the coastal law (ley de costas)

Spanish property market is a disaster, with transactions plummeting by more than 40%

Spanish property market is a disaster, with transactions plummeting by more than 40% during February (compared to February 2007) in key regions such as Catalonia. Despite the fact that newly built properties are selling better than resales, developers are also having a terrible time of it, with sales down by around 60% since September 2007, swelling a growing stock of 500,000 + unsold new properties. On the other hand, prices don’t appear to have collapsed, at least not yet, and there are pockets that aren’t doing too badly, basically in the highly-differentiated, quality segments in good locations. That’s a rough overview of a complex situation in which plenty of exceptions can be found.The most widely used housing market statistics in Spain are the quarterly figures released by the Ministry of Housing.The latest figures, published last week, show that average national property prices rose by 3.8% to 2,101 Euros/m2 over 12 months to the end of March 2008. On a quarterly basis, average prices rose by 0.8% in the first quarter of the year.
In the Spanish press much was made of the fact that property prices have declined in real terms for the first time in a decade. With consumer price inflation running at 4.5% in March, a nominal increase of 3.8% in house prices turns into a fall – after adjusting for inflation – of 0.7%. So thanks to inflation, the average Spanish property is now worth less than it was a year ago. Even so, given the carnage in the market, you would be expecting significant nominal falls about now, as is happening in the US and the UK, not just inflation-adjusted falls. The answer lies in Spain’s dodgy official housing market statistics, more of which later.
As usual, regional variations of property price changes were significant. The biggest 12-month increase was in the Andalucian province of Huelva, on the border with Portugal, part of the Costa de la Luz, where prices increased by 9.5% over the last year, at least according to the government’s figures. Pontevedra, in Galicia, was next best with 7.6%, followed by Asturias, also in the north of Spain, with 7.3%. Madrid, Spain’s capital and biggest housing market, was the weakest, with a nominal gain of just 0.1%, followed by Alicante, home to the Costa Blanca, with 1%.
On a quarterly basis (Q4 2007 vs Q1 2008), prices increased by 3.9% in the province of Huelva, 3.6% in Seville, and 3.4% in Valencia, but fell in 5 provinces / regions: Madrid (-0.1%), Murcia (-0.2%), Tenerife (-0.3%), The Balearics (-0.5%), Cantabria (-0.7%), Alicante (-0.8%), and Castellon (-1.3%).

Torrevieja Estate agents aren’t selling anything, developers are going bust, retail sales are falling by 10% to 15%, local business are struggling

According to a recent article in the Spanish press the situation in Torrevieja is deteriorating rapidly. Official unemployment has surged from 1,700 in 2005 to more than 5,000 today. Given that the construction sector employs an army of illegal immigrants, who are the first to lose their jobs, real unemployment is likely to be much higher. Estate agents aren’t selling anything, developers are going bust, retail sales are falling by 10% to 15%, local business are struggling, and taxi drivers report that trade is down by 60% to 70%. Social problems such as crime are growing, and there is litter and graffiti everywhere.What is the local mayor’s solution to the problem? More building, of course. Pedro Ángel Hernández Mateo, of the right of centre PP party, and implicated in corruption scandals, wants more town hall control over planning and building in the municipality. In his opinion, building more urbanisations is the future for Torrevieja’s economy. He has also had a good rant about anyone who has ever criticized over-development in the region, including the EU.Torrevieja, a town hall that relied heavily on building licence fees now has financial problems, as the local tax take falls by 7 million Euros thanks to the property crisis.

Major Alexander Matthew Blake, died on Wednesday when hang gliding in the area of Cenes de la Vega in the Sierra Nevada in Granada

British naval officer, Major Alexander Matthew Blake, died on Wednesday when hang gliding in the area of Cenes de la Vega in the Sierra Nevada in Granada. He was in Andalucía to take part in a military exercise in Málaga, and is said to have lost control during a dangerous aerobatic manoeuvre around 6pm on Wednesday night.EFE news agency reports that the man was attended to by the Guardia Civil and emergency services, but they could do nothing to save his life.The British consul in Granada said she thought the man could be part of the crew of a Navy vessel and had come to the sierras as many do for enjoyment. Club Draco which organises the hang gliding classes the area said they are often visited by members of the British military. Indeed there was another British fatality in the area some ten years ago.
The dead man had visited the area many times before and had posted a message on the internet shortly before he died, saying how much he loved the sport.
His body has been transferred to Málaga from where the repatriation will be carried out by the British military.The Guardia Civil have meanwhile opened an investigation.

Family of a 5-year-old Mari Luz Cortes who was murdered this year have begun a protest trip across Spain to press for life sentences for paedophiles

Family of a 5-year-old Mari Luz Cortes who was murdered this year have begun a protest trip across Spain to press for life sentences for paedophile killers.
Mari Luz Cortes vanished on January 13 as she walked home from a sweet shop in Huelva, southern Spain. Her decomposed body, still dressed in the clothes she wore that day, was found on a river-bank near her home two months later.The man suspected of killing Mari Luz, a convicted paedophile, was only free at the time of her death because of a judicial mix-up.Despite assurances by the Socialist government to consider introducing a sex offenders register, Mari Luz's uncle and grandfather are collecting signatures from around Spain to force parliament to debate tougher sentences and public lists of paedophiles."The government does nothing. There's no strong and firm justice," Francisco Valentin Cortes, Mari Luz's uncle, told Reuters ahead of his 5500km journey."Here in Spain, paedophile murderers don't go to prison and if they do, they are there for 10 years. We want them to get life in prison."
Under Spanish law, no person convicted of a non-terrorist offence can be imprisoned for more than 30 years, and that sentence is often halved for good behaviour.
Cortes said the 45-day trip taking in 32 cities aims to gather 3 million signatures, though 500,000 would be enough to force parliament to hold a debate addressing their demands.Mari Luz's case has been linked to the disappearance of British girl Madeleine McCann who went missing just across the border in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz a year ago on Saturday.Mari Luz's family, who are Roma, have called the trip a new `drom', which means `road' in Roma language.The chief suspect was arrested for murder on March 26.The judge who failed to take into account a previous conviction and therefore did not jail him, could be dismissed, Spanish media have reported.