Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust and TD Bank, Gibraltar face trial

two banks where Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein laundered money will face a trial over multimillion-dollar claims by victims of the scam, a Broward County judge has ruled.
Circuit Judge Jeffrey Streitfeld declined to entirely dismiss any of the suit’s defendants.
In an order, dated Dec. 9 and distributed by plaintiffs’ attorneys on Tuesday, Streitfeld ruled that all claims against the two bank defendants, TD Bank and Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust, would go forward.
A hearing was set Tuesday discuss a trial schedule. TD Bank said because it was pending litigation it would not comment other than to say "it believes and expects the facts to prove that it is not liable for the acts of Scott Rothstein."
The suit was filed last year by investors who lost money in the Ponzi scheme. It has grown to include about $160 million in claims related to the $1.2 billion scheme.
Streitfeld also ruled against motions to dismiss any claims against several individual defendants, including Frank Spinosa, former regional VP of TD Bank; Jennifer Kerstetter and Roseanne Caretsky, employees of TD Bank; David Boden, attorney and former general counsel for Rothstein’s now-defunct law firm, Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler; and Andrew Barnett, who worked as RRA’s corporate development director.
There were some defendants who succeeded in getting some counts against them dismissed:

• Frank Preve of Fort Lauderdale, who worked for the Banyon feeder funds in the scheme. Streitfeld dismissed only some counts against Preve concerning breach of fiduciary duty.
• Philadelphia-based hedge fund Ballamor Capital and its principal Barry Bekkedam. The judge ruled that only certain plaintiff investors could pursue claims against Ballamor and Bekkedam.
• R.L. Pearson of Fort Lauderdale and his company, R.L. Pearson & Associates, which allegedly handled investments in the scheme. The judge threw out all claims except those from two investors, Viceroy Global Investments and Concorde Capital.
• New York-based Platinum Partners Value Arbitrage Fund LP and Centurion Structured Growth LLC. The two funds will face claims of aiding and abetting fraud, and civil conspiracy to defraud, but other claims were dismissed.

Another defendant in the suit, accounting firm Berenfeld Spritzer Shechter & Sheer, is working on a resolution of the claims through a $10 million settlement agreement in RRA’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

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Spanish Lenders May Need $120 Billion, Moody’s Says - Bloomberg

Spanish Lenders May Need $120 Billion, Moody’s Says - Bloomberg: "Spanish banks that helped spur the country’s property boom with mortgages and loans to developers may need as much as 90 billion euros ($120 billion) in capital, Moody’s Investors Service said.
That estimate is based on a scenario in which lenders would need a Tier 1 capital ratio, a measure of their financial strength, of as much as 12 percent to tap funding, Moody’s said in a statement. Spanish banks declined today, led by Banco Santander SA, the country’s biggest.
“Given the situation after Ireland where the banks will have to be recapitalized to a much higher capital level, to a core Tier 1 ratio of 12 percent, we ran stress tests to see what that would mean in the context of Spain, if Spanish banks had to be recapitalized to a higher level in order to retain market confidence,” Kathrin Muehlbronner, an analyst at Moody’s, said in a phone interview."

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Colombian denies Spain money laundering charges - Colombia news | Colombia Reports

Colombian denies Spain money laundering charges "Oscar Fernando Cuevas, a Colombian wanted for extradition to Spain on accusations of money laundering, denies being guilty of the crime, reports W Radio.
Cuevas said that he asked for money from a Spanish bank because he was broke, which 'is not a crime.' He also accused his brother-in-law Juan Pablo Medrano of attempting to kidnap him to make off with the family's money, but Medrano denies these accusations.
Cuevas was arrested in Colombia on November 5 upon the request of Spain. He allegedly fled Colombian authorities and took refuge in the European country in 2001, where he requested political asylum after claiming to be a victim of political persecution. He returned to Bogota in 2004, supposedly after Spanish authorities became suspicious of his activity, and was arrested then by Colombian police.
He has also spent time in jail in the United States, after he was arrested in 1986 in Switzerland, extradited to the U.S. and tried for several cocaine and money-related charges. Evidence in the trial showed he operated a money laundering service for cocaine distributors and he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Cuevas said he would go to Spain to prove his innocence."

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36 year ban from public office, and an 810 million € fine for Juan Antonio Roca

Prosecutor is also calling for a 36 year ban from pubic office for the ex Municipal Real Estate Assessor in Marbella

The prosecutor has called for a 24 year prison sentence, a 36 year ban from public office, and an 810 million € fine for Juan Antonio Roca, the ex Municipal Real Estate Assessor in Marbella Town Hall, for his alleged role at the centre of the Malaya corruption case.

He is accused of continual money laundering, fraud, passive bribery and the misuse of public funds among other charges. The Prosecutor considers that Roca laundered some 240 million € over a ten year period, and the written accusation against him says that in real estate purchases alone he spent more than 136 million € between 1997 and 2005.

The prosecutor’s accusations run into 585 sheets, and have been presented to the Provincial Court in Málaga.

95 people are allegedly linked to the corruption and face charges in the hearings which get underway on September 27.

The Malaya case initially broke back on March 29 2006, when some 20 people were arrested in the first stage, including Roca and the then Mayor of Marbella, Marisol Yagüe. It’s become the largest ever corruption case based in a Town Hall in Spain.

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PR-USA.net - June 2010 Property Market Report for Costa del Sol

PR-USA.net - June 2010 Property Market Report for Costa del Sol: "Probably the area where most deals are being done right now at property sales under €200,000 because this is where the best value is, The exception to the rule is the self confessed capital La Cala de Mijas where prices have held up that much more which is understandable if you have ever been to the area La Cala easily stands out as the best place to live along this part of the coast but not everyone will share that opinion but the property price tends to reflect that opinion as a whole. You can also buy some very nice villas is this particular area from around €400,000"

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Britisher, has died after being shot while on a street terrace, from a passing large cylinder motorbike carrying two riders

26 year old has not been named in reports

A 26 year old man, reported to be British, has died after being shot while on a street terrace, from a passing large cylinder motorbike carrying two riders in Mijas. The victim has not yet been named.

Diario de Sevilla reports that it happened at 10,10pm on Saturday night at the British-run Lounge Bar, Terraza de Miraflores, in the Riviera del Sol Urbanisation, an area popular with drinkers. Reports say that at least six shots were fired in total, and that three of them hit the victim.

Health workers could do nothing to save the life of the victim who died at the scene from gunshot wounds to the head.
The judicial police of the Guardia Civil have opened a full investigation, with the first hypothesis considering the killing was part of a settling of scores.

This latest Costa del Sol killing comes just over a week after the so-called Irish Mafia , led by Christopher Kinahan, was broken up. His organisation was allegedly involved in drug and firearms trafficking and money laundering. Possible links to this new killing are being investigated.

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_26314.shtml#ixzz0q4llnf00

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SICKENED holidaymakers watched as boozy Spaniards tortured a young bull to death at a carnival.

SICKENED holidaymakers watched as boozy Spaniards tortured a young bull to death at a carnival.
They kicked and punched the helpless animal in Alhaurin el Grande on the Costa del Sol.
Ex-pat Colin Davies, 54, from Glasgow, said: "It was outrageous.
They had been out drinking most of the day then converged on the ring.
"Drunken morons jumped hoardings and began goading one bull, before it descended into chaos and the animal was attacked."
Government officials are investigating and have vowed to prosecute those involved.

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Gored Spanish bullfighter remains in intensive care < Spanish news | Expatica Spain

Gored Spanish bullfighter remains in intensive care < Spanish news | Expatica Spain: "Top Spanish matador Julio Aparicio remains in intensive care a week after he was gored through the throat during a bullfight, the hospital which is treating him said Saturday.
The 41-year-old was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition on May 21 after the half-ton bull jabbed one of its horns through Aparicio's chin and back out of his mouth at Madrid's Las Ventas bullring.
Doctors at Madrid's October 12 Hospital performed surgery to reconstruct his jaw, tongue and the roof of his mouth and placed him on a ventilator.
In a statement, the hospital said Aparicio remained in the intensive care unit in serious but stable condition but was off the ventilator.
The matador comes from a well known bullfighting family and he was one of the top draws at the San Isidro bullfighting festival held each May at the 25,000-seat Las Ventas arena.
The injury happened as he was attempting the faena, a series of passes in which he uses his cape and sword before delivering the death blow to the bull."

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Statements taken in Marbella 'Goldfinger' case

Statements taken in Marbella 'Goldfinger' case: "Judge Ricardo Puyol, from Instruction Court One in Marbella, took the statements on Thursday from three lawyers in the ‘Goldfinger’ case where the Scottish actor, Sean Connery and his wife are indicted.

The three lawyers, identified with the initials, H.D., L.J.,and C.T., are accused of the misuse of public funds, bribery, fraud, influence peddling and other charges in the case which relates to the sale of the actor’s Marbella mansion, Malibu, in 1999.

The plot on the beachfront was then used to build a four story block which was completed in 2004.

There are 23 people indicted in total in the case, including the ex Mayor, Julián Muñoz."

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British father and son die in Menorca airshow crash

British father and son die in Menorca airshow crash: "Bruce Hook and his son Ian were killed when they lost control of the Beech Baron craft

A British father and son have been killed in a light aircraft crash when they were taking part in a race and lost control of the craft which crashed in flames.

The tragedy happened at 1250 on Saturday shortly after the pair had taken off from the Real Aeroclub de San Luis-Mahón on Menorca.
The father, 63 year old Bruce Hook, was considered to be an expert pilot and ex RAF, and was flying a twin motor Beech Baron. He was accompanied by his 26 year old son, Ian.

The fire services were on the scene immediately as they were already on duty for the air display, but they could do nothing to save the lives of the two on board the craft as it exploded when it hit the ground.

An investigation has been opened by the AESA, Spanish Air Safety Agency.
The event was organised by the British Royal Air Club."

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John Cunningham, 58,arrested in Spain an armed robber and drug dealer.

John Cunningham, 58,arrested in Spain an armed robber and drug dealer. He was convicted in 1986 for the kidnapping of one of the heirs to the Guinness family fortune, Jennifer Guinness.Eleven properties in Spain were searched during the early morning raids, the details of which were disclosed today. Both Cunningham and Kinahan can be held without charge for up to two years under Spanish law.In Dublin, 29 premises were searched and one man in his 20s arrested. The places targeted include a solicitor's and accountants' offices.Gardai are examining a number of front companies that operate in Ireland, the UK and Spain that claim to export food from the Iberian peninsula but which detectives believe are being used to transport cannabis and cocaine into Britain and Ireland.

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curtains at Kinahan's mansion were closed yesterday and many of the shutters drawn down.

Yesterday it emerged that Daniel, son of alleged crime boss Christy Kinahan, bought the property last autumn and spent hundreds of thousands of euro renovating it and installing banks of security cameras around the perimeter.

Neighbours told how they had grown suspicious at the level of surveillance equipment installed at the four-bedroom, two-storey property on a private beachside estate in Guadalmina, between Marbella and Estepona on the Costa del Sol.

One Spanish woman, who asked not to be named, said: "He moved in about October last year and virtually built a new house. He kept the shell of the existing property, which was only about eight or nine years old, but totally renovated it and the garden and put up loads of security cameras.

"The original house was yellow and in perfect condition, but he repainted it red ochre.

"I saw a woman going in and out of the property and heard children's voices but I never really got to know anyone there."

The woman added: "They kept themselves to themselves, although in December they plastered the house with Christmas lights.

"We knew police had raided the property but we didn't know why. We saw half-a-dozen cars parked outside on Tuesday morning at around 10.30 and men with guns on their belts milling around.

"We thought it might have something to do with the raids they've been announcing on the television in the Costa del Sol but we weren't sure.

Cameras

"The house stood out because of the amount of security cameras. We wondered why on Earth someone would have so much surveillance in an area which is already patrolled by security guards paid for by the neighbours."

The curtains at Kinahan's mansion were closed yesterday and many of the shutters drawn down.

A children's bicycle was visible in the landscaped gardens, which boast a private swimming pool.

An English-speaking woman appeared on the top balcony yesterday, but when asked about Daniel Kinahan she replied: "I don't know anything. I'm just here looking after the dogs."

It had previously been thought Kinahan had been arrested in his €800,000 flat in another nearby seafront development called Torre Bermeja.

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PROPERTY assets linked to the Christy Kinahan-led international drugs cartel in Brazil alone are worth an estimated €500 million.

PROPERTY assets linked to the Christy Kinahan-led international drugs cartel in Brazil alone are worth an estimated €500 million.

That sum is more than treble the value of all cash and assets seized by the Criminals Assets Bureau in Ireland since the bureau’s inception almost 15 years ago. The details that continued to emerge in Spain yesterday reveal that Kinahan is at the head of a mafia-style operation with assets worldwide funded by drug trafficking, money laundering, gun running and even human trafficking.

The property portfolio in Brazil is comprised of six leisure complexes and a string of residential properties, with a combined value of €500 million, Spanish authorities say.

In Spain some 60 properties – including villas, apartments and business premises – have already been frozen in the first part of an assets confiscation case there. The properties in Spain are valued at about €150 million by the authorities.

The Spanish properties are located along the Costa in Benalmadena, Fuengirola, Mijas, Marbella, Nueva Andalusia and Estepona. Kinahan lives in a €6 million villa, and also regularly stays in an apartment valued at €800,000 in a gated complex near Marbella.

There are other properties in Ireland, England, Dubai, South Africa and Belgium.

One of the companies controlled by the gang is an upmarket car dealership in a Costa resort which sells supercars, Porsches, Bentleys, Hummers, McLarens and Ferraris, to name but a few.

Television news footage in Spain has shown vehicles being confiscated from the dealership and car parks next to plush apartments and villas where some of the nine Irish suspects where arrested on Tuesday morning.

It is believed that the international investigation being led by the Garda and authorities in Spain and the UK has identified a network of some 30 companies set up or controlled by the gang for money laundering and investment purposes.

Some of the firms are small front companies set up on the pretence of transporting food from Spain to the UK and Ireland. But for nearly a decade Kinahan has been transporting drugs in lorries to small warehouses in Ireland and England.

A spokesman for the Spanish interior ministry said the Kinahan gang had ploughed money into companies in a diverse range of sectors, including renewable energy, waste recycling and infrastructure projects.

The gang was not only investing and laundering its own drugs money, but was acting as financial agents for Irish gangs who used Kinahan and his legal and financial contacts in Spain to launder proceeds of their crimes.

The Garda and Spanish police have drawn up a list of 19 names which they believed represent the nucleus of the Kinahan gang. At least 11 people on the list are Irish.

The Spanish police had not prioritised investigating Irish organised crime gangs on the Costa del Sol until recently because local gangs were given more priority.

However, the murder of several Irish men in the past two years forced the Irish gangs on to the radar of the Spanish authorities.

Paddy Doyle (27), of Portland Place in Dublin’s north inner city, was shot dead as he drove his BMW 4X4 near Marbella in February, 2008. He was linked to one of the Crumlin-Drimnagh feuding gangs and was a suspect in at least three gun murders here.

Richard Keogh (30), from Cabra in Dublin, was shot dead in Benalmadena Costa near Marbella in January 2009. He was a known drug dealer.

Former John Gilligan gang member Peter Mitchell (40), of Summerhill in Dublin’s north inner city, was wounded in a shooting in Marbella in August 2008, but survived.

In the course of investigating these attacks the Spanish became aware of the presence of a large number of Irish gangs based in the south of the country, the biggest of these by far being the cartel headed by Christy Kinahan.

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Convicted Irish drug dealer held after international operation - The Irish Times - Wed, May 26, 2010

Convicted Irish drug dealer held after international operation - The Irish Times - Wed, May 26, 2010: "Christy Kinahan, a 53-year-old father of three, was the key target in the raids in Spain, Ireland, the UK, Brazil and Belgium that began at 4.30am yesterday.
Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy said the arrests showed Irish criminals were mistaken if they believed by relocating to Spain they could evade capture.
“This is an extensive and focused investigation targeting drug trafficking, money laundering and firearms crime.”
Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern said borders would not protect organised crime gangs.
“[These] events are evidence of the determination of those involved in law enforcement, fully supported by their governments, to take international gangs straight on.”
Trevor Pearce of the UK’s Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) said the raids were a major blow to a key gang supplying drugs and guns across Europe.
“We also believe this network has been offering a global investment service, ploughing hundreds of millions of pounds of dirty cash into offshore accounts, companies and property on behalf of criminals.”
The international drug trafficking and money laundering investigation has found evidence that Kinahan and his associates have built a property portfolio worth in excess of €150 million. The properties are in Ireland, Spain, Dubai, South Africa, Brazil, Belgium, England and Cyprus and will most likely now be confiscated.
Kinahan and his associates arrested in Spain can be held for up to two years without charge. Four Spanish solicitors were also arrested, in the operation code-named Operation Shovel."

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'Every Rolls has a story behind it' - Times LIVE

'Every Rolls has a story behind it' - Times LIVE: "lime green Rolls was one of several sales at yesterday's auction of the liquidated assets of a business empire belonging to two controversial Cape Town figures - businessman Mark Lifman and the late Yuri 'The Russian' Ulianitski, who died in a hail of bullets three years ago on his way home from a restaurant.
Lifman did not bid on any of the items which included a city 'nightclub' - sold for R7-million - two Sea Point apartments, and the Rolls - but his presence cast an imposing shadow over yesterday's proceedings, where bidding was slow to start.
Although Ulianitski and Lifman were business partners, Ulianitski's widow, Irina, last month won a court challenge for a share of her slain husband's estate, prompting the appointment of liquidators who decided to auction their shared business interests."

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Chris Kinahan '£500m cocaine king' in seized in swoops by 750 armed police

Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express | UK News :: '£500m cocaine king' in seized in swoops by 750 armed police: "Chris Kinahan was held on the Costa del Sol as 750 police officers swooped on 32 suspects in Britain, Spain and Ireland.

The 53-year-old Briton is alleged to be the head of a criminal net- work responsible for trafficking huge quantities of cocaine into every major UK city.

Kinahan is also said to have masterminded, from his villa near Marbella, the large-scale smuggling of firearms and the laundering of hundreds of millions of pounds in crime profits.

In co-ordinated dawn raids, 230 officers from the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) arrested nine men and two women in the West Midlands, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Kent, Middlesex and south London. Premises were also being searched in Belgium, Cyprus, and Brazil as well as in Britain, Spain and Ireland.

Kinahan’s sons, Christopher junior and Daniel, were also held in the wave of arrests in Spain. Daniel Kinahan featured in the long-running probe into allegations of horse-race fixing featuring champion jockey Kieren Fallon. The jockey was cleared of all charges.

Soca’s Trevor Pearce said: “The scale of this joint operation is an indication of how prolific we think this network was."

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Sean Connery has been ordered to appear before a Spanish magistrate investigating alleged financial irregularities on the Costa del Sol.

Sean Connery has been ordered to appear before a Spanish magistrate investigating alleged financial irregularities on the Costa del Sol.
The James Bond star, 79, and his wife Micheline Roquebrune, are being investigated by a court in the millionaires' playground of Marbella.
Five lawyers have also been ordered to appear before the court after police raided their offices on Wednesday in an operation named Goldfinger.
Connery and his wife, Michelle, a French painter, lived in Marbella from the early 1970s to the late 1990s in a beachside mansion called Malibu.
They entertained stars including Richard Burton, Michael Caine, Omar Sharif and George best in the magnificent whitewashed villa.
Connery sold the property for a reported $9million in the late 90s, and 72 luxury flats were later built on the land.
A two-bedroom apartment there is now worth around £2million.
Magistrate Ricardo Puyol is reportedly investigating the sale of the house and allegations of tax evasion and money-laundering.
The actor and his wife are expected to appear before the magistrate at Marbella's Court of Instruction number 1 on May 27, 28 or 29.
They will be questioned in detail, behind closed doors, before the magistrate decides if any further action should be taken.
Neither Connery or his wife have been arrested or charged with any offence.
On Wednesday officers from the National Police accompanied by tax officials raided the officers of law firm Diaz-Bastien & Truan in Marbella and Madrid.
Operating on the orders of the magistrate, the officers reportedly seized 30,000 documents.
The magistrate has placed a secrecy order on the case which bans any officials from speaking about the investigation.
National newspaper El Mundo said the magistrate is investigating a number of property deals made during the tenure of controversial Marbella mayor Jesus Gil y Gil, the former owner of Atletico Madrid football club.
It said the magistrate was investigating possible tax evasion, embezzlement, perversion of justice and money-laundering.

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Antonio Gregorio Díaz Navas was found guilty of illegally granting a building licence for a villa on non-buildable land

Antonio Gregorio Díaz Navas was found guilty of illegally granting a building licence for a villa on non-buildable landPenal court five in Málaga, has sentenced the Partido Popular Mayor of Canillas de Albaida, Antonio Gregorio Díaz Navas, to a seven year ban from pubic office, and a fine of 4,500 €, for town planning crimes. He was found guilty of granting permission to build a villa ‘with a serious disregard for the regulatory norms’, according to the sentence.The licence for the 137 square metre dwelling in the area known as El Mosquín, has also been rescinded, according to Europa Press.In court the Mayor admitted that he gave the licence ‘ahead of time’ as documents were lacking, but insisted that he was completely sure that the building could have been made legal, and he did not think he was committing a crime.
‘If I had known that, I would not have done it’, he told the court. ‘I always acted in good faith for the good of the village’.Diaz Navas has said he will not resign from his post or from the Partido Popular until the result of his appeal.

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Valencia Government, headed by Francisco Camps, awarded 85 contracts worth 7.2 million € to nine companies in the Gürtel corruption network,

Valencia Government, headed by Francisco Camps, awarded 85 contracts worth 7.2 million € to nine companies in the Gürtel corruption network, owned by Francisco Correa, between 2004 and 2008.The numbers come from a report from the Judicial Services of the Madrid High Court of Justice, where the summary of the case is being instructed.The contents of the 43 page report were revealed in the Valencia parliament on Thursday by the Socialist spokesman in Les Corts, Ángel Luna. He claimed the report shows that the law was broken on some 50 occasions as contracts were often split into smaller segments.In response Francisco Camps, the President of the Generalitat, on Thursday defended the contracts awarded by his administration and said that the Sindicatura de Comptes said that ‘everything is under legal control and in perfect conditions’. He also claimed that more contracts were split up under the Socialists.

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allegations of corruption in Totana, Murcia, will place the regional deputy and ex Mayor of Totana, Juan Morales

ex Mayor of Totana, and current regional deputy is accused of accepting backhanders

The judge instructing the allegations of corruption in Totana, Murcia, will place the regional deputy and ex Mayor of Totana, Juan Morales, on the accused bench for allegedly accepting backhanders from as many as 13 crimes. He faces bribery, fraud, money laundering, document falsification and other charges.

He one of 13 accused in the case, a list which includes his girlfriend, Vanelde Freita, and the case documents say that between 2003 and 2007 he managed several real estate deals, including one from the Galician company, Inmonuar, in the area known as El Raiguero. For this deal to proceed he is thought to have used intermediaries to purchase the land needed, for which Morales received ‘a substantial commission’ of 3.6 million.

However, despite a request from the prosecutor, the current Mayor of Totana, José Martínez Andreo, has still not been indicted.

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ex Mayor of Manilva, Pedro Tirado, speaking to the court in Málaga, has said that the 762,101 € found in rubbish bags in his home, in 500 € and 200€ n

ex Mayor of Manilva, Pedro Tirado, speaking to the court in Málaga, has said that the 762,101 € found in rubbish bags in his home, in 500 € and 200€ notes, was from ‘anonymous party donations’ for his PDEM, The Manilva Democratic Party, which he founded in 2002 after leaving the GIL party.

The Anti-corruption prosecutor claims that the money found in March 2005 was a backhander given to the then Mayor, from the owners of La Parrada, an enormous estate where the Mayor allowed the number of homes to be built to be increased from 1,300 to 2,400. As part of the deal, the Royal Marbella Estates sold the land it purchased for 9.7 million € for 117.9 million the following year after the Mayor had reclassified the land in between the two dates.

In questioning despite his claim, Tirado was unable to name a single party donor, or give any more information, for example say the size of the largest single donation.

When asked why the money was not in his safe, Tiraldo told the court that he had been advised by a friend, who was an expert in security, that he should put only a small amount in the safe, as a prize for a possible thief, and hide the larger amount elsewhere.

The prosecutor is demanding a two year prison sentence for bribery.

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Euro Weekly News | Euro Weekly News - News/Costa del Sol

Euro Weekly News | Euro Weekly News - News/Costa del Sol: "BENALMADENA - A MISSING three million euros from land and property agreements in Benalmadena dating back six years is being probed by the Court of Auditors. Lack of control over municipal funds is believed to have led to the discrepancies between the amount earned and invested, with any irregularities discovered potentially seeing those in power at the time having to repay the money."

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Celebrity Cruises says it today is dispatching its newest ship, the Celebrity Eclipse, to Spain to rescue more than 2,000 British vacationers

Celebrity Cruises says it today is dispatching its newest ship, the Celebrity Eclipse, to Spain to rescue more than 2,000 British vacationers stranded by the ash-caused shutdown of flights across Europe. The Miami-based line says it is canceling the first leg of inaugural celebrations for the 2,850-passenger vessel, scheduled to begin Thursday in Southampton, England, so the ship can take part in what is becoming a Continent-wide effort to repatriate thousands of waylaid citizens of various countries to their homes. Celebrity says it is working with U.K. tour operators to arrange the repatriation. Some of the British vacationers the ship will pick up, on package holidays in Spain, have been stuck in the country since last Thursday.

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British Royal Navy ship arrived in the northern Spanish port of Santander to pick up troops and civilians stranded

British Royal Navy ship arrived in the northern Spanish port of Santander to pick up troops and civilians stranded due to the volcanic ash cloud grounding flights across Europe.The HMS Albion will transport over 450 army personnel as well as around 280 civilians to the port of Portsmouth in southern England, the British defence ministry said in a statement.Among the army personnel who boarded the ship were members of a field hospital regiment and a RAF squadron who had completed a tour of duty in Afghanistan.The soldiers were able to reach Spain by plane as it is one of the few European nations not to be significantly affected by the ash cloud.Most of the civilians who boarded the ship were holiday-makers who became trapped because of the closure of British airspace, with priority given to those "with a pressing need to return to Britain", a British embassy spokesman said.Soldiers in fatigues entered the boat alongside families with children wearing colourful backpacks, images broadcast on Spanish television showed.Britain's Sky news channel reported another 400 people had turned up at the port, hoping to get on the ship, but were turned away.The HMS Albion, an amphibious landing ship based at Devonport Naval Base in Plymouth, is expected to arrive at Portsmouth on Wednesday night (local time). It is capable of carrying more than 600 personnel as well as vehicles and combat supplies.

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Fake Gastric Banding Surgery Through Hypnosis - ABC News

Fake Gastric Banding Surgery Through Hypnosis - ABC News: "Lindley, 59, weighed 315 pounds and wanted to lose weight before retiring from her position in a school in Keighley, England. So in July 2009, she traveled to a clinic in Spain. She spent days in 'pre-surgery' counseling talking about her food choices and how gastric banding surgery would leave her stomach no bigger than a golf ball and make it uncomfortable for her to eat more than she needed.
In her final session, Lindley went into the 'operating room' where she smelled antiseptics and heard sounds of the doctors and nurses talking. But rather than go under anesthesia, Lindley had actually already been put under, using hypnosis.
Hours later she walked out of the 'hospital' without a single incision having been made. Lindley didn't actually have -- or want -- gastric bypass surgery, she had hoped the hypnotists at the Elite Clinic in Marbella, Spain could just convince her she had one so her body would not let her eat as much."

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The Associated Press: Spanish court shelves Israeli probe

The Associated Press: Spanish court shelves Israeli probe: "Spain's Supreme Court has upheld a lower court decision to shelve a probe of an Israeli air force bombing that killed a Hamas militant and 14 civilians in Gaza in 2002.
The National Court ruled in June that Spain lacked jurisdiction because Israel was already investigating the attack. The Supreme Court said Tuesday that ruling was correct, rejecting an appeal of it by the Arab Cause Solidarity Committee, a Spanish advocacy organization.
Israel had complained to Spain about the probe, which was begun in 2009 by a National Court investigating magistrate under Spain's practice of universal jurisdiction, based on a complaint by Palestinian relatives of victims of the attack."

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The Canadian Press: Spain's footballers call off strike over unpaid player wages

The Canadian Press: Spain's footballers call off strike over unpaid player wages: "Spain's soccer players' association (AFE) says it has called off a strike over unpaid wages which could have halted matches in the country's top four leagues.
Luis Rubiales, an AFE spokesman, told journalists that enough progress had been made at talks with the Spanish League, the football federation and Spain's Sports Council to enable his organization to call off industrial action.
The pay disputes applied mainly to players in the lower tiers.
The strike could have disrupted 10 matches in the top division's 33rd round, including Real Madrid versus Valencia and Espanyol versus Barcelona."

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Workaholics escaping personal problems - UPI.com

Workaholics escaping personal problems - UPI.com: "About 8 percent of employees devote more than 12 hours per day to their employer to escape from personal problems, researchers in Spain say.
Lead author Mario Del Libano of the Jaume I University in Castellon de la Plana in Spain says spending more than 50 hours per week working could indicate work addiction.
Del Libano and colleagues confirmed the usefulness of Dutch Work Addiction Scale, a new scale for measuring addiction to work.
Work addiction is characterized by extreme work activity with people working outside working hours, at weekends and holidays, inability to delegate, disproportionate involvement with work and focusing on work to the detriment of their lives."

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Two arrested in Spain after fights break out at former mosque

Two arrested in Spain after fights break out at former mosque: "Two men were arrested after clashes between police and tourists who broke a ban on Muslim prayers at a cathedral in Spain which was once a major mosque, the local bishop's office said this week.
Trouble broke out Wednesday when six members of a group of 118 Muslim tourists visiting the cathedral in the southwestern city of Cordoba knelt to pray and were ordered to stop by security guards.
As they refused to stop praying, they were 'invited to continue with their visit or leave the cathedral,' the Cordoba's bishop's office said.
The security guards called in police, who were attacked by the visiting Muslim tourists, it added. Two policemen were injured and two of the Muslim tourists were detained.
'This was a one-time incident that does not represent the genuine Muslim identity as there are many who display attitudes of respect and dialogue with the Catholic Church,' the statement said.
Despite calls by Muslims for rules to loosen, Bishop Demetrio Fernandez Gonzalez recently reiterated a ban on Muslim prayers at the former mosque that turned into a Christian cathedral in the 13th century"

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Seanie won't clear his name - Irish, Business - Independent.ie

Seanie won't clear his name - Irish, Business - Independent.ie: "OVER four out of five of Ireland's top 300 company bosses feel that former Anglo Irish Bank chairman Sean FitzPatrick (above) will not be able to clear his name.
More than 83.5 per cent of respondents felt that the omens were bad for the disgraced banker. Most of the remaining respondents were undecided.
Mr FitzPatrick was arrested and questioned by gardai two weeks ago. He is now believed to be staying near Marbella in the sunny south of Spain.
In last year's poll, more than 88 per cent of respondents indicated that they felt that bankers should face criminal charges over their conduct."

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Spain to invest billions in rail, road projects - BusinessWeek

Spain to invest billions in rail, road projects - BusinessWeek: "Spain said Wednesday it would invest euro17 billion ($23 billion) in a rail and road project over the next two years in an effort to boost its recession-hit economy and create jobs.
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said 70 percent of the investment would go toward new passenger and freight rail projects, as well as improvements of the existing network. The remaining 30 percent will be dedicated to highway construction and maintenance.
He said the plan would not affect Spain's coffers for the moment as it would be financed initially by the companies contracted with funds from state credit institutions and private banks.
Zapatero said Spain would begin paying the companies back after 2014 by means of a new tax on users once the projects are finalized and functioning.
'This is the most important collaboration between the public and private sector in the history of our country,' said Zapatero."

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Failed EU-U.S. data deal to be revived, U.S. says | Reuters

Failed EU-U.S. data deal to be revived, U.S. says | Reuters: "'There are still issues we have to work through,' Holder told a news conference in Madrid following talks with EU officials.
'I am confident that over a relatively short time, the (data sharing) will be once again active.'
Holder met EU officials in Spain this week to discuss security cooperation with the 27-nation bloc, notably the data agreement rejected by the European Parliament in February because of concerns over citizens' privacy. The United States wants access to information about money transfers in Europe, saying it is crucial in tracking suspected terrorists.
Negotiations on a new agreement between Washington and Brussels could start as soon as this month, pending a green light from EU governments.
Washington was forced to seek an agreement on data sharing with the EU when the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), which tracks money transfers, changed its server infrastructure several months ago.
But any new deal will have to address concerns by EU parliamentarians over privacy safeguards such as the right to complain if citizens feel their data is misused. Deputies also want provisions against sending bulk packages of information instead of data on specific cases.
In a debate over the EU's proposed negotiating framework in the European Parliament this week, lawmakers again demanded more stringent protection.
'The Americans are looking for a needle and we basically send them a haystack,' Sophie in't Veld, a Dutch member of the EU assembly, said."

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Spain unveils measures to boost ailing economy - BusinessWeek

Spain unveils measures to boost ailing economy - BusinessWeek: "Spain's government announced Friday a package of measures aimed at boosting its ailing economy and generating more than 350,000 jobs.
Economy Minister Elena Salgado said the initiatives were intended to help medium to small businesses, especially those operating in the hard-hit construction sector.
'These are measures oriented toward creating employment,' Salgado said at a press conference after the government's weekly cabinet meeting.
The 30 measures were designed 'to continue moving forward with our economic recovery,' Deputy Prime Minister, Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, said.
Salgado said the fiscal impact of the measures had been included in the budgetary stability proposals the Spanish government had presented to the EU in Brussels in January."

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Mayor of Marbella complains about TV progamme

Mayor of Marbella complains about TV progamme: "The Mayor of Marbella, Ángeles Muñoz, has written a letter of protest against the Telecinco gossip TV programme, ‘La Noria’.
She is angry at the contents of last Tuesday’s programme when the subject was Isabel Pantoya and the Malaya corruption case based in Marbella.
Muñoz says it showed an image of the town which does not correspond to reality, and that the treatment of Marbella was ‘unjust’ over the two hours of the programme."

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First Property Choice makes it Easy to Find Information on Cheap Spanish Property and Marbella Prope

First Property Choice makes it Easy to Find Information on Cheap Spanish Property and Marbella Prope: "latest buzz going around in the real estate market is about the reduced prices of prime properties in Spain. Recession is considered the main reason for the reduction in prices of Spanish properties. Most of the real estate companies have thus started listing their Spanish and Marbella properties at much reduced prices. However the downside of these listings for cheap Spanish property and Marbella property is that they fail to give the correct information to the customers.
First Property Choice is a real estate company which aims to become the first choice of people wanting to sell or buy Marbella property, cheap Spanish property, Calabria property, Turkey property and many other properties. Yes, like any other real estate company First Property Choice also lists cheap Spanish properties and Marbella properties with reduced prices. But unlike other companies it has made sure that customers are able to find the information they are looking for regarding the property they wish to invest in."

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The Latest in Luxury Resort & Real Estate News - Real Estate Channel Global News Center

The Latest in Luxury Resort & Real Estate News - Real Estate Channel Global News Center: "Group Metro, the Dominican Republic's leading real estate and transportation company, together with their partner Frank Pimentel of Cotuicar announced March 29 the grand opening of its newest beachfront development: Marbella.

This luxurious development, which includes both residential and hotel units, is located in Juan Dolio beach. For this special event, Group Metro hosted an exclusive event on the beach in front of the stunning new residential property. Among those who attended were the country's most elite figures including the President Leonel Fernandez, Minister of Tourism Francisco Javier Garcia and others.

'After three years in development, we are very pleased to announce the grand opening of Marbella,' exclaims Dr. Luis Jose Asilis, chief executive of Group Metro. 'It is always such a great feeling of accomplishment when a vision becomes a reality. Today, we are overjoyed to finally welcome all the new residents and guest to Marbella who will enjoy it for years to come.'"

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Britons return to sun, sea, sand and Spain - Times Online

Britons return to sun, sea, sand and Spain - Times Online: "They became a symbol of the global housing market crash, unsold, half-built, lining the Mediterranean like skeletal relics of a bygone, more prosperous age.
But villas and apartments on the Spanish Costas are suddenly hot property again as Britain’s second-home buyers rediscover the attractions of life in southern Spain.
Fresh from a chilly, dismal winter, drawn by falling prices and apparently undaunted by the low sterling-euro exchange rate, a new generation of would-be buyers has descended on Spain, according to the Spanish division of Taylor Wimpey.
Typical holiday home buyers are no longer “stereotype retirees”, the UK’s biggest housebuilder said. Instead, executives with families who spend an average of 60 days a year in Spain have emerged as the dominant British buyers in a region that enjoyed huge popularity during the credit-fuelled boom years."

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SPAIN rampant piracy and legal commercial P2P has put the country on the verge of “no longer being a viable home entertainment market.”

Sony boss Michael Lynton complains that rampant piracy and legal commercial P2P has put the country on the verge of “no longer being a viable home entertainment market.”
According to Michael Lynton, chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, piracy is so rampant in Spain that Hollywood studios are considering discontinuing the sale of DVDs there altogether.“People are downloading movies in such large quantities that Spain is on the brink of no longer being a viable home entertainment market for us,” he told the LA Times. In the last few years illegal movie downloads have soared from 132 million to 350 million while DVD sales have declined by some 30%. This means Hollywood could soon find itself in a situation like South Korea where they simply gave up and left.“It is very sad and very shameful for Spain that we should reach the stage where companies are thinking of leaving,” said Octavio Dapena of the Spanish film rights association Egeda. “I hope it doesn’t happen and that Spain reacts in time.”Spain faces the rare juxtaposition where the courts there have ruled on numerous occasions that individual file-sharing is legal so long as there is “no talk of money or any other compensation beyond the sharing of material available among various users.”To do what it can to prevent people from profiting from copyright infringement the govt recently passed legislation that will allow a judge with the National Audience, the country’s federal court, to close or block websites accused of facilitating copyright infringement within 4 days as compared to the current year-long process.The real problem in all of this is that studios bosses like Lynton don’t seem capable of monetizing the future of content distribution. Lynton, if you recall, is the same person who said last year that he “doesn’t see anything good having come from the Internet” so it’s not surprising that he hasn’t developed a way to formulate an effective online distribution model to compete with illegal alternatives like file-sharing and streaming.In fact, he said he’s “worried” about the spread of faster broadband connections, even in the US.The only words of wisdom seem to come from an unlikely source, Bob Pisano, the MPAA’s interim chief executive.“We need to get a handle on it (piracy) if we don’t want to end up like the music industry, where their business model didn’t keep pace with the realities of the new marketplace,” he said.Retooling the business model is the key to competing in Spain. All businesses that don’t heed the marketplace will fail unless artificially supported by govt intervention. If Hollywood wants to maintain a viable home entertainment market in the country then it ought to focus on giving consumers what they want, which seems to be online content distribution.Delivering a digital product is far cheaper than producing and a physical one, and so it could even afford to drop the price dramatically and make the product more enticing. Spaniards may not be willing to pay $10 for a physical DVD, but surely they’re willing to pay $1 to stream or $2-3 to download it at home or on the go.
I’m no fancy movie boss, but even I could figure this one out.

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toll road planned between Ronda and the Costa del Sol. ?????

A leading Junta official has now admitted that she has no idea when the ‘ecologically damaging’ motorway will be built. Although public works chief, Dolores Fernandez, still insists that the project will eventually be completed, she stopped short of explaining exactly when. And, despite repeated Junta guarantees that the road will be operational by 2012, this now looks impossible. In fact, it is increasingly likely that building will not even have begun. The project was originally backed by Ronda mayor Antonio Marin Lara in 2007, after the Junta unveiled its toll road plans. A total of 400 million euros was set aside to replace the winding 45-kilometre stretch with a high-speed dual carriageway. The road connects Ronda to San Pedro de Alcantara and is one of the region’s most dangerous, comprising of 365 bends.Estimates suggest that it would cut travel time from Ronda to the coast by 20 minutes, but it would reportedly cost five euros to use and also be an environmental disaster. Plans involved carving through the Sierra Bermeja – a European protected site – as well as damaging chestnut growing areas in the higher Genal Valley.It could also harm a key aquifer in the Sierra del Oreganal, north of Benahavis.Last year a report by university professors from Granada and Malaga recommended improving the current road by adding an extra lane for overtaking.Academics also proposed increasing train services between Malaga and Ronda

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Air Comet, on Tuesday finally applied for voluntary bankruptcy protection, three months after its licence to fly was withdrawn.

Air Comet, on Tuesday finally applied for voluntary bankruptcy protection, three months after its licence to fly was withdrawn.It’s debts amount to 160 million €, and now the bankruptcy process is finally underway it means that the workers can claim the back pay they are owed.The company was hoping to find a buyer or reach an agreement with the main banks to have given it credit, but finally it has admitted defeat and given in to union pressure. Unions say wages amounting to four or five million € remain outstanding.It also means that those passengers affected by the collapse of the company can now apply to the judge for compensation.It should be noted that despite the size of the debt, the company could find itself with assets larger than the debt because it is still waiting to hear whether the Argentine Government is going to pay compensation to it of 222 million €.

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EURO MP has slammed the visit of British minister Chris Bryant as insincere.

Marta Andreasen claims the visit to try and solve the huge demolition issue currently affecting hundreds of expats around the region didn’t amount to much.She explained: “I don’t think he achieved very much. I don’t think his visit was very sincere.
“He’s not doing anything to resolve the problems of the people who are already suffering.”Minister for Europe Bryant visited pensioners in Almeria and announced that Spanish civil servants will now work in the British Consuls in Malaga and Alicante.At the time he stressed that finding a solution to the problem was out of the British Government’s remit. “Obviously it’s not for us to tell the Spanish what to do, but whether it’s an amnesty or a change in the law, we are pushing for whatever solution is needed,” he added.Bryant also met with demolition-threatened couple John, 82, and Muriel Burns, 70. And John Burns explained that, although any direct prevention action is out of their jurisdiction, at least officials are now taking note. “It meant a great deal that they came and spoke to us. It was only meant to be an hour but they were here for two,” he said.

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Guardia Civil found the bodies of some 100 dogs as it broke up an illegal sales network in Cáceres

Guardia Civil found the bodies of some 100 dogs as it broke up an illegal sales network in Cáceres. The owner of the premises was arrested in the operation codenamed ‘toys’.He had been selling pedigree puppies imported illegally from Slovakia, despite many of them suffering from poor health and some of them from malformed bodies. According to the records some of the dogs had been vaccinated before they were born.
SEPRONA, the environmental wing of the Guardia Civil had been working on the case for six months after receiving several complaints from people in Badajoz, after dogs were dying shortly after being purchased.At the Cáceres premises on Tuesday they found 58 cages containing 75 puppies from ten different breeds including schnauzers, shi tzu, yourkshire terriers and poodles among others.
Tragically they found the bodies of nearly 100 dogs frozen and stored in two freezers. It’s thought they were dead on their arrival in Spain, or shortly after, and were being kept by the business as justification for an economic claim later.

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Belgian Consul in Málaga, Claude de Hennin run over by a British resident in his car at the doors of the Belgium Consulate in Mijas.

Belgian Consul in Málaga, Claude de Hennin, who has lived in Spain for 41 years says he still cannot believe how he was attacked after an argument with his neighbours on Monday.He claims that he was run over by a British resident in his car at the doors of the Belgium Consulate in Mijas. Diario Sur reports he says he saw a child about five years old with a woman by the exit to the parking area and warned them he was about to drive out. The woman then turned to insult him in English, and he turned away and went inside.Later in the street though a British man with a dog came up to him and continued the insults. The Consul then called the local police and while he was waiting for them to arrive, the British man got into his British plated car to get away. The 70 year old Consul tried to block his escape, but the man started the car and ran into him, causing bruising to his right leg and arm.He said he wanted to thank the Guardia Civil, Local Police and doctor for his treatment and hoped that the case would be resolved quickly so he could forget about it all.

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people affected by the Ley de Costas will give their evidence to the Petitions Committee in Brussels.

European Parliament has launched another attack on Spain’s coastal law ‘Ley de Costas’ describing it as ‘abusive’Labour and Conservative British MEPs criticised the law on the Petitions Commission, in their opinion, it confiscates assets of those who purchased in good faith.Conservative M.E.P. Roger Helmer said he was recommending his constituents not to buy property in Spain.
‘If Spain wanted to enter the EU today, it would have many problems because of its lack of respect of the right to property.For Labour, Michael Cashman said, ‘There is a lot of corruption which is tarnishing the image of Spain. It is a totalitarian country’.For Spain the General Director for Coasts, Alicia Paz, said that the Spanish Constitution defines the first line of the beach as public land, and that all Spanish Governments have applied the law since it was approved in 1988. El País considers that was an indirect comment against the Partido Popular deputy, Carlos Iturgaiz, who has said that ‘confiscating the assets of the owners converts them into squatters’.
The EU Petitions Commission has already launched a hard-hitting report on town planning in Spain, but now has moved on to the coastal law having received ‘dozens of complaints’ from Britons, Germans and Spanish residents, because the law grants a 60 year concession on occupation on the properties built on public land before 1988, after which time they will be demolished. The author of the earlier report, Margaret Auken, Danish Green MEP, described the Ley de Costas as ‘extraordinary’ and that the problem is how it is being applied unequally, as she saw modest homes which were not protected on the one hand and large hotels being built on the other.

Many retired Europeans, most of them Britons and Germans, purchased homes on the beach in good faith, without the bank or notary advising them that, under the Ley de Costas, they were only purchasing the concession and not the freehold. Later they discovered the truth when they could not sale the properties.

Alicia Paz said there was a lot of confusion over the law, and many had commented on the demolition of properties at Cho Vito on the Canaries, but here she said the properties were actually also built illegally. some of the people affected by the Ley de Costas will give their evidence to the Petitions Committee in Brussels.

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heavy rain on September 21, 2007 had caused structural movement in the house and the damage was not covered by their policy.

Barrie and Janet Waterfall were full of hope when they moved to Spain nine years ago.
Spanish retirement home, which is now uninhabitable But their dreams of a happy retirement have been shattered and their 21-year marriage has been brought close to breaking point - all because of a bitter dispute with their buildings insurer, Axa Spain.

Retired teacher Barrie, 67, and Janet, 68, face financial ruin. They own a property rendered uninhabitable because of structural damage caused by a leak from a water main. They cannot sell it and now owe more than £39,000 to banks, credit card companies and friends. The mounting debt is the result of a costly legal battle with Axa Spain,

which has involved them employing architects and surveyors. The couple have also had to rent an apartment for the past two years. Janet, a former senior administrator at the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, has moved back to Lewes, East Sussex, to stay with friends because she is so distressed. Spanish builders have told the couple it will cost about 110,000 euros (£98,000) to repair the damage - money they do not have.

The builders want to inject industrial foam under the house to shore it up, which Barrie says will cost at least £40,000, rebuild the internal walls and replace the bathroom and kitchen.

The couple paid 158,000 euros (£144,000) for their 200-year-old three-bedroom terraced house in the market town of Xativa near Valencia with a 112,000 euros mortgage from BBVA in Spain.

Barrie, who was head of languages at a prep school in Dorset, says if it was repaired it would be worth only about 145,000 euros because of the drop in property prices.

In late 2007, the couple noticed small cracks in an arch in the hallway. These were repaired, but in January 2008 the cracks reappeared and the couple contacted Axa Spain, part of the multinational Axa Group.

The Waterfalls chose Axa because they trusted the brand and paid about 200 euros a year for joint buildings and home contents cover and had never made a claim.

Axa sent an assessor to review the damage, but within a week the claim was rejected.
The company said heavy rain on September 21, 2007 had caused structural movement in the house and the damage was not covered by their policy.
'Jan and I looked at each other in disbelief,' recalls Barrie. 'Axa had also chosen a date to blame for this so-called heavy rainfall that we knew had been dry, sunny and warm. It was ludicrous. We felt they were trying to wriggle out of paying.'
Days later, after a complaint from a neighbour who had water coming into his property, the town council sent workmen to dig up the road outside the Waterfalls' home.

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Thousands of Britons have bought Spanish properties in good faith, only to find they were illegally built on protected land.

800 British and Irish residents marched in Almeria after demolition orders were issued for eight expat-owned homes in the nearby town of Albox.
The owners are appealing but it is feared many more homes are under threat after Spanish regional authorities overruled planning permission.

Thousands of Britons have bought Spanish properties in good faith, only to find they were illegally built on protected land.

Albox home owner Nicola Veitch, of Jersey, said: 'We are devastated. We have every legal document under the sun for our property.'

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pensioners lost their fight in the European Court of Human Rights to prove this pension freeze violates anti-discrimination rules.

One in five expats claims a sterling pension, with more than a quarter of Brits living in Spain (28%) and a third of British expats in Germany relying on this as their core source of income, according to Moneycorp. More than half a million pensioners living in Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand suffer a further blow because their state pensions don't rise each year in line with inflation. Only those living in the European Economic Area and countries with reciprocal agreements in place with the UK, such as the U.S. and Jamaica, are protected against inflation. Yesterday, these pensioners lost their fight in the European Court of Human Rights to prove this pension freeze violates anti-discrimination rules. Tim Finch, head of migration at think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research says: 'The weakness of the pound will mean more people will lose jobs and find it harder to live overseas and come home. This is likely to be a growing trend over the next few years. 'Generally, the big wave of lifestyle emigration where people got their place in the sun for a better life was a reflection of the boom years when you had high house prices and decent pensions.

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Pensioners abroad have arguably been hit the hardest as they rely most heavily on their savings and pensions built up in the UK

four million Brits living abroad are planning a mass return to home shores after seeing their savings and income stripped by the plunging values of the pound and their property. Pensioners abroad have arguably been hit the hardest as they rely most heavily on their savings and pensions built up in the UK. They've been hit by a declining pound and falling interest rates.
The dramatic slump has slashed their income by a third and has turned Brits into the paupers of Europe.

Fears over job security and falling property prices are also giving expats second thoughts, according to research from foreign exchange specialist Moneycorp.
Some 845,000 Brits living in Spain and France have suffered an 8% drop in house prices in the year to August 2009 alone. This wiped €30,000 off the average property on the Costa del Sol.
Sterling has slumped from over €1.50 to £1 in January 2007 to close to parity, taking a terrible toll on the estimated 5.5m British expats, and particularly the 1.1 million pensioners living abroad. Moneycorp research shows that 70% of all expats are now considering returning to the UK.
A retired couple living in Spain, for example, both drawing a full state pension of £95.25 per week, will have seen their combined monthly income - on their pension alone - drop by €396 over three years, from €1,263 to €867.

The warning signs that hundreds of thousands of Brits may be ready to return to the UK started when the credit crunch began in 2008. That year, the number of expats returning home jumped by a fifth on the previous 12 months. The number of British homeowners downsizing or selling up and sending money back to the UK doubled last year, foreign currency specialist HiFX reports.

It has seen an 180% increase in the number of euro to sterling transactions and an 11% increase in the number of US dollar to sterling transactions in the past six months, compared to last year. More people over 65 than any other age group are repatriating.

Mark Bodega from HiFX says: 'The pound's fall to historic lows in recent months has meant the cost of living or running a holiday home on the continent has risen to unaffordable levels for many people.'

A weak property market is also proving to be a nightmare for many of the estimated 1.5m Brits who own homes abroad. Many are being forced to sell their property at a loss, particularly in countries like Spain.

The weak pound has proved a blessing for those who receive an income in euros, for example from renting a property. Sterling's slump means they will get far more pounds for their euros.

Brennon Nicholas, managing director at estate agency Cluttons Spain says: 'We have seen an increase in the number of people coming to us who are struggling because their pensions and savings do not stretch as far as they used to. They're selling up because of the favourable exchange rate but the market is extremely tough and there is a lack of buyers.'

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Britons Daniel Rushton and Matthew Daly have been arrested in connection with an armed robbery at a supermarket in Puerto Banus, Spain

Britons Daniel Rushton and Matthew Daly have been arrested in connection with an armed robbery at a supermarket in Puerto Banus, Spain

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Protecting the Rock’s reputation from any fallout as a result of the Marrache case.?

Gibraltar said yesterday that it would work with the Financial Services Commission [FSC] to protect the Rock’s reputation from any fallout as a result of the Marrache case.The statement came amid concerns that an ongoing criminal investigation into the affairs of prominent local law firm Marrache & Co could impact on the Rock’s financial sector.The association said it would encourage members to take on Marrache clients swiftly and at minimum cost if this was deemed appropriate by regulators.
On Monday, the FSC cancelled the licences of seven entities linked to Marrache & Co, as well as the licences of Benjamin and SolomonMarrache. A day later, police arrested the two brothers and accused them of falsifying documents to hide E1.8m of missing money belonging to a client.The men spent a night in custody but were released on Wednesday after providing sureties worth £600,000 and accepting strict bail conditions.The investigation remains open and further charges and arrests are possible, Attorney General Ricky Rhoda told the Magistrates Court.Finance professionals and lawyers fear that the Marrache case, which will take months to investigate before it is heard in court, could unfairly tarnish Gibraltar’s image.
The finance centre is a major employer in Gibraltar and plays a vital role in the local economy.The aim now to reassure international finance clients, both those who are already here and those who are looking to bring business to Gibraltar.In a statement issued by chairman Nick Cruz, ATCOM welcomed the measures taken by the FSC to “robustly” prevent the suspect entities from further trading until the matter was fully investigated.That step had mitigated the potential loss to any clients of Gibraltar’s trust and companies sector, the association said.ATCOM also welcomed the FSC’s decision to appoint a seasoned auditor, Freddie White, as the authorised administrator of all the suspended companies, a step which the association said would minimise inconvenience to clients.Mr White, managing director of Grant Thornton in Gibraltar, will help clients of Marrache & Co’s Gibraltar office to transfer their business to other licensed entities.ATCOM said it would “…happily engage and assist Mr White and the FSC in whatever way is deemed appropriate, including encouraging its members to accept...the business of the affected companies at minimum cost and as expeditiously as possible so as to minimise interference to their business.”Such transfer would be subject to due diligence and standard checks on customer identity.The ATCOM statement added: “Gibraltar was the first jurisdiction to licence trust and company business in 1989 and its members have consistently met the highest international standards of regulation as recognised by numerous international bodies, including the OECD and IMF.” “ATCOM will continue to work closely with the FSC to develop and encourage a well regulated and prosperous trust and company management sector…that does what it conceivably can to prevent rogue businesses putting at risk Gibraltar’s well earned and respected reputation as a safe place to quite properly do business.”ATCOM’s statement came as the Marrache case began to generate media coverage outside Gibraltar.Yesterday, the international legal profession’s leading trade publication, The Lawyer, published a report on the criminal investigation into the affairs of the Marrache brothers.The publication, which is read by lawyers around the world, sought reaction from Marrache & Co’s London office, where partner Steven Daultrey said he felt “anger, rage and incandescence at certain names working in the firm’s Gibraltar office”.
“I have an office here with people whose livelihoods I have to consider,” he told The Lawyer. “I’m utterly speechless.” According to Mr Daultrey, the Gibraltar firm had nothing to do with the London office, sharing only the brand name. “[Benjamin and Solomon Marrache] aren’t signatories here,” he told The Lawyer. “We do English-law work only.”“I’m concerned for the London office clients too, but at the moment those clients have been nothing but 1,000 per cent supportive.”“We haven’t had one client complain, they’re saying they’ll do anything to help.”
“They receive a good level of advice here but, in terms of reputation, the situation is awful.”Marrache & Co’s offices in Spain, Lisbon, Prague and Luxembourg are also understood to be linked to the firm by name only, The Lawyer said.

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Two schools, in Manilva and Marbella, had to be evacuated after becoming flooded

Two schools, in Manilva and Marbella, had to be evacuated after becoming flooded, and in Manilva the A7 was closed for a time as underpasses to gain access to Sabinillas and Puerto de la Duquesa were underwater.There were several landslides affecting roads in the Manilva area.
In Marbella the El Ángel college was flooded and evacuated and a wall collapsed close to the Barceló hotel in San Pedro Alcántara. More than 50 litres per square metre was recorded in Marbella and as much as 80 in some areas.In Estepona the marina was flooded and several local rivers and streams burst their banks leading to flooding of homes and businesses, with the Urbanization Marimontes worst affected. Cancelada was also cut off for a time.Last 12 hours rainfall figures to 7am Tuesday morning
82 litres per square metre in Casarabonela., 84 in Coin and 108 in Ojén.The Spanish Meteorological Agency has extended the orange alert for heavy rain in Málaga province until Tuesday midday.

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Benjamin and Solomon Marrache, appeared before the Magistrates Court yesterday charged with false accounting in respect of E1.8m of client money.

Two senior executives at a prominent Gibraltar law firm, brothers Benjamin and Solomon Marrache, appeared before the Magistrates Court yesterday charged with false accounting in respect of E1.8m of client money.The two men were arrested on Tuesday and spent the night in police cells before being ferried to court in a police van.
The two Marrache brothers were ushered by police through a side entrance to Central Police station just before 10am and appeared before the magistrate in a crowded courthouse a short while later.Attorney General Ricky Rhoda, appearing for the Crown, urged the magistrate to impose stringent bail conditions for fear that the two men might flee the jurisdiction.Keith Azopardi, the defence lawyer representing the Marrache brothers together with Samantha Sacramento, said there was no risk of them leaving Gibraltar because both were of previous good character and had strong family ties here.Stipendiary Magistrate Charles Pitto granted bail but set tough conditions on each defendant, in the form of two sureties to the value of £300,000 for each brother. The court also set a further financial condition of £150,000 in their own recognizance for each defendant.In simple terms, failure to appear at future court hearings could cost the defendants and their guarantors up to £900,000 in total.Both men also had to hand in their travel documents and agree to reside at their respective family homes, as well as report twice weekly to police.By the end of the day yesterday, a number of persons had stepped up to provide £600,000 in sureties for the release of the two men.At an hour-long hearing in the evening, Mr Pitto questioned the guarantors closely but accepted the sureties. The two brothers were released from custody later that evening.Yesterday’s developments in court were the opening shots in what will undoubtedly develop into a lengthy and complex case.Mr Rhoda said the sums of money involved “could be quite substantial”.
He said the two men were currently facing “holding charges” and that more charges could follow at a later stage. The Attorney General also said there could be further arrests as a result of an ongoing police investigation.Earlier this week police raided several commercial and residential properties linked to Marrache & Co and seized documents and computers.
Prosecutors allege that in January this year, the brothers falsified documents to conceal a shortfall of E1.8m of funds belonging to a company called Portino Comercio Internacional. One document, a letter signed by Solomon Marrache, purported to show that the money was held by the brothers on the client’s behalf. Another document, a letter signed by Benjamin Marrache, purported to give authority to Natwest bank to transfer the client’s money to a bank in Ireland.But prosecutors said that the Gibraltar bank account supposed to hold the company’s cash in fact had a balance of less than nine Euros and no credit facility.

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Killing the Golden Goose More demolition orders have been issued in Albox

More demolition orders have been issued in Albox despite confusing statements by the Town Hall and the Mayor, Sr. José GarcíaIn an interview published on the English language Arboleasnow website , Sr. Garcia is reported to have denied the rumour that nine houses are affected, saying that only eight demolition orders have been issued "by the courts".This statement belies the fact that on the 15th December another of our members was issued with an order not by the courts, but by Albox Town Council itself!And on January 20th, the Official Bulletin board carried an instruction to demolish a building on a plot of land near Alcantarilla, Albox. However, the plot referred to has two homes on it as well as an uncompleted structure.We notified the owners and met with the Town Hall Secretary, who agreed to review the case file and advise us whether the order referred to one, or all, of the structures on the plot. In spite of repeated attempts we are still waiting for a response. The owners have only fifteen days to lodge an appeal and are very worried. They need this information from the Town Hall, and they need it now.
We have been trying to set up a meeting with Sr. Garcia for three weeks. Having cancelled two previous appointments with us, we are now told we cannot speak to him until the middle of February. This, despite the fact that we represent eight of the affected families.It has been because of delays and lack of communication that the legal process in these cases is so advanced it has resulted in people being deprived of their right to defend themselves.Avoiding difficult questions is not an option for the authorities. In order to solve the problem we need ongoing, open and co-operative dialogue to reach a consensual solution involving public bodies, interested associations and all the political parties.

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Helen and Len Prior have been ordered to be given a temporary home by a judge’s order.

British Couple Helen and Len Prior have been ordered to be given a temporary home by a judge’s order.Lawyers acting for the couple are claiming compensation from the local council for the loss of their home and also applied for ‘provisional measures’ to house them in a similar property to the one they lost, and it is these measures which the judge has ordered be met. The local council now has to find them a similar property or pay the rent on another one while the case is completed.
AUAN, Abusos Urbanisticos Almanzora No, the protest group acting against the demolition of property in the area, reports that Helen and Len have found a suitable property, and are waiting for the council to agree.

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Spanish real estate developer Habitat filed for protection from creditors which hold 2.3 billion Euros in debt.

The main creditors of the developer are La Caixa, Caja Madrid, Banco Santander, BBVA and Banco Popular, a total of 38 entities. This is not the first real estate company to go into administration. The total debt of real estate companies in administration is over 10,500 million Euros.The president of Habitat, however appears rather optimistic as he announced that “the company will face all their obligations and has enough active capital to confront its debt”.

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court has registered a condition of ‘bankruptcy’ for Polaris World Sports Centre, Polaris Development, Polaris World Development, Polaris World Indus

Polaris World returned to court with their creditors with the debt now owed to the Bank of Valencia by the Murcian constructor estimated to be around 62-million euros and around 100-million euros owed overall. According to the economic newspaper Cinco Días, the principle creditors are Caja Mediterráneo, Bancaja Group y Banco Popular.
Polaris World accepted that 15 of its companies, are in a ’state of insolvencia’ and thus the group is seeking to initiate a period of negotiation with their creditors before entering suspension of payments. The insolvency affects four of the urbanizations, two hotels and El Oasis de Alhama commercial centre among others. The debt of the company, that also accounts for some 700 employees, approaches 100 million Euros.
In particular,

the court has registered a condition of ‘bankruptcy’ for Polaris World Sports Centre, Polaris Development, Polaris World Development, Polaris World Industrial Machinery Rental, Polaris World Concrete, Polaris World Real Estate, Nicklaus Trail Golf, Valley Resort Golf, Green Property, Riquelme Property, Polaris Tower Hotel, El Oasis de Alhama Commercial Centre, Polaris Oasis City and Alhama Resort Golf. These companies have until 22nd March 2010, to negotiate new terms with their creditors.

It’s still business as usual at Polaris World; the Murcian Government have voiced their support for the complex with the owners and directors are hopeful that new terms can be negotiated to avoid further action and court appearances. Polaris World is known throughout Europe for its golf, football complex, residences and quality hotels and all that can be done shall be, according to the directors and management

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Public Prosecutor is asking for 16 and a half in prison for a man accused of killing a couple and injuring two motorcyclists in Alicante

Public Prosecutor is asking for 16 and a half in prison for a man accused of killing a couple and injuring two motorcyclists in Alicante in February 2008. The private accusation is asking for 30 years in prison, considering that the accused was completely aware of what he was doing. The accused drove 16 kilometres in the wrong direction on the A-70, but told the court that he didn’t intend to kill himself, and had suffered a psychotic episode which drove him to the motorway. However, the doctor who examined him four days after the event ruled that he was completely sane at the time and had confessed he was in a hurry to get to San Vicente and entered the motorway in the wrong direction by mistake.

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Denia Judge has sent a young man who allegedly belonged to a gang who perpetrated four attacks against teenagers, stealing their mobile phones

Denia Judge has sent a young man who allegedly belonged to a gang who perpetrated four attacks against teenagers, stealing their mobile phones and money, to prison on remand without bail. The gang covered their faces with balaclavas and threatened the victims with knives.

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DAVID BROOKES, 59, a former Royal Artillery warrant officer and an ex-policeman, was killed by smoke in a fire in the town of Jimena de la Frontera

DAVID BROOKES, 59, a former Royal Artillery warrant officer and an ex-policeman, was killed by smoke in a fire in the town of Jimena de la Frontera His wife Florence, 58, was found by a passerby in hysterics in the street outside. The fire had already been extinguished when the man entered the house and found the lifeless body of Mr Brookes in a bedroom.
Mrs Brookes, originally from Edinburgh, is recovering from severe shock in hospital.
But her family did not know about the tragedy until they read about it in a newspaper on Friday, January 8.
Mr Brookes' son Paul, 37, said: "It was awful to read this in the paper. It was a dreadful shock’’
"It seems there was a breakdown in communications and the British consulate was not informed about dad's death."

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one million Britons living in Spain some 74 per cent revealed that repatriation is now a distinct possibility

one million Britons living in Spain some 74 per cent revealed that repatriation is now a distinct possibility, according to a study undertaken by Moneycorp.Some 37 per cent of those surveyed admitted that they were already looking into returning to the British Isles.The house market crash has seen the value of homes on the Costa del Sol crash to below 65 per cent their original asking price.

“Brits living in Spain are particularly affected by the struggling property market with many owning holiday homes and letting out their Spanish properties.”
Add the plummeting pound and limited job opportunities, the survey has fuelled fears that there could be a widespread exodus.
“Brits living in Europe are feeling the effects of the weak pound as they are more likely to be reliant on income from their British property, UK pension and other regular sources of funds,” said David Kerns, Head of Private Clients at Moneycorp.
“Brits living in Spain are particularly affected by the struggling property market with many owning holiday homes and letting out their Spanish properties.”

Meanwhile, the survey also revealed that more than a third of expatriates in Italy, Germany and France are also mulling over moving back to the UK.Kerns added: “Our research shows that British expats have had a tough time and the findings reveal that no country has escaped unharmed from the economic downturn.”
The survey interviewed 250 Europe-based UK expatriates and was conducted from October to November 2009.

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demolition of nine British owned properties in Albox, Almería.

President of the Junta de Andalucía, José Antonio Griñán, told Europa Press on Thursday that he had not received ‘any notification or letter’ from the British Ambassador to Spain, Giles Paxman, regarding the demolition of nine British owned properties in Albox, Almería.British diplomats are insisting that Ambassador Paxman has written and sent a fax asking for a meeting to try and find a solution to the problem, but speaking to journalists in Córdoba, José Antonio Griñán, said that the building licences for the properties had already been contested by the Junta at the time as not being considered as legal. He insisted that the Junta had therefore met its obligations regarding the matter, and that the properties were illegal.
However also speaking on Thursday the Junta’s Councillor for Housing, Juan Espadas, made a call for calm from the nine property owners. He said that his department would be looking at the matter ‘case by case’. He said that problem had arisen because of the ‘speculative interests of professional defrauders’ who had attracted foreign investors by offering the chance of building on non-buildable land without explaining exactly what any problems could be.Espadas also expressed his wish to halt the disordered growth and said leaving the new town plans aside he would be working with the Town Halls in the districts of the Almanzora in Almería and Axarquia in Málaga with the objective of imposing urban discipline.‘The Junta de Andalucía does not knock down buildings, but challenges licences it considers to be illegal, and it is the judge who then decides’, he said.

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fraud paid for a luxury lifestyle in the UK and Spain which included the purchase of a villa in Marbella

Alan James Wilson was the director of a company which designed and rented portable refrigerated units from its base at Staffordshire Technology Park in Beaconside.Wilson took part in a fraud, as sole director of the business, which centred on falsifying rental agreement documents, misappropriation of company funds and disposal of equipment.
The fraud paid for a luxury lifestyle in the UK and Spain which included the purchase of a villa in Marbella, currently on the market at 850,000 Euros, a 47-foot yacht which has a list price of £490,000, a luxury home in Derbyshire and Mercedes cars.The 57-year-old, from Chapel-en-le-Frith in Derbyshire, was investigated by officers from Staffordshire Police’s Economic Crime Unit. He was arrested and admitted offences of theft, false accounting and fraud at a previous hearing at Stafford Crown Court.
He has been sentenced to 44 months imprisonment while the case was adjourned for 21 days for a confiscation hearing.Money from the sale of the yacht, villa and UK home, and funds seized from Wilson’s foreign accounts, is likely to go towards the confiscation order. All of Wison’s assets are currently held under restraint by police pending the forthcoming confiscation hearing.Detective Sergeant Nick Jones, from the Economic Crime Unit, said: “Wilson carried out fraud to enjoy a lavish lifestyle. We are committed to bringing offenders to justice while at the same time removing the trappings of a lifestyle earned through crime.
“We are increasingly using asset recovery to take back ill-gotten gains, which are then paid as compensation to victims. These are often other commercial institutions, which may be struggling in the difficult economic climate and rely on recovered funds to continue to trade and employ staff. To allow offenders to prosper from crime is an affront to law-abiding citizens.”

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Three men were seriously injured yesterday

Three men were seriously injured yesterday when scaffolding collapsed at a football pitch in the town of Santa María del Águila in El Ejido.
The three men, aged between 40 and 51, were taken to the Poniente hospital where two of the men are reported to be seriously ill.
All three men suffered bruising while one of the men has a broken leg.
One of the men was released from hospital the day of the accident.

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Third person has been arrested in connection with last Saturday’s shooting in Almeria city

Police arrested 27-year-old Spaniard, F.J.R.G., yesterday. A search of the address also revealed an Astra 9mm pistol which police believe to be the weapon used in Saturday’s killing, in which a 29-year-old Moroccan man was shot at point blank range in the city centre.
Police believe F.J.R.G. to be the person actually responsible for the shooting.

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Spanish association supporting the opening of civil war graves, the Asociación para la Recuperación de la Memoria Histórica (AMRH)

Spanish association supporting the opening of civil war graves, the Asociación para la Recuperación de la Memoria Histórica (AMRH), yesterday said they intended to push for further attempts to locate the grave of poet and playwright, Federico Garcia Lorca.
In a statement published yesterday, the AMRH said they did not consider December’s failed attempt to find the mass grave a “failure” as it allowed certain erroneous oral testimony to be discounted.
Lorca was killed in August, 1936 and buried in a mass grave along with three other men. Lorca’s family do not support the search for the poet’s remains.

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Police yesterday arrested two Spanish men in connection with Saturday’s shooting in Almeria city in which a 29-year-old Moroccan man was shot

Police yesterday arrested two Spanish men in connection with Saturday’s shooting in Almeria city in which a 29-year-old Moroccan man was shot at point blank range and killed.The two arrested men, 22-year-old, J.M.S.S., and 23-year-old, D.R.M., both have criminal records for a variety of crimes. Police have said they expect more arrests to follow in the course of the next few days.
The Moroccan man is the third person to be murdered in the province of Almeria this year.

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