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Vol. 8 Issue 190 www.theolivepress.es
June 25 - July 9 2014
BATTLE BEGINS AFTER HACKING OF MOTORING ADVICE WEBSITE
Feeling the pressure
The Olive Press helps Gordon with his new TV show See Page 3
San Juan on the coast The ‘festival of fire’ lit up the beaches of the Costa del Sol See Page 9
HEAD-ON COLLISION Motoring expert Brian Deller and pet lover David ‘The Dogman’ Klein lock horns over international driving ‘licences’ controversially sold by Klein to expats for hundreds of euros
TWO of the coast’s best known expats have locked horns in a vicious spat over the sale of controversial international driving ‘licences’. It comes after Spain’s leading expat motoring writer Brian Deller found his advice website had been hacked and redirected to that of David ‘the Dogman’ Klein’s Costa del Sol Action Group. Conveniently, it meant that his critical section on the costs and necessity of the ‘licence’ offered by Klein was also erased. But now Deller, 76, has sought legal advice and got his website back after a three-week struggle, involving numerous calls and emails to Klein.
Risky
Dancing into the records We join the fun at Estepona’s own world record attempt See Page 22
He also contacted his employers at Talk Radio Europe, where Klein presents a weekly pet show. The DJ has sold hundreds of permits - via a classified advert with his mobile phone number - for over a decade. When contacted by a pro-
EXCLUSIVE By Tom Powell
ROAD WARS: Deller (left) had his website replaced by Klein’s. (Right and top) a licence and Klein’s ad
I was taken for a ride ... ONE angry punter – who wished to remain anonymous - told the Olive Press they purchased an international driving permit from Klein for €450 in 2006, after moving to Spain from the Middle East and spotting an advert in Sur in English newspaper. The licence is blue and passport-like, with the words ‘worldwide community of vehicle operators’ on the front. The word ‘licence’ is spelt inconsistently throughout, with both the American spective client on behalf of the Olive Press, this week, Klein offered a ‘10-year licence’ for €300, but admitted it was ‘risky’. “I can get you an international licence that will last for 10 years, but it is a risk (to use it in Spain).” He continued: “Should you be stopped, some police might say everything is OK, while others will fine you.” This is because the document is illegal to use as your sole driving licence in Spain, and Deller points out they are actually ‘useless’ for expats here. But this has not stopped Klein charging up to €450 atime, while similar permits are easily obtainable from Spain’s
‘license’ and the English ‘licence’ in the same sentence in one instance. “It was so badly done I was worried about driving past police,” said the client. “It looked pretty amatear and the picture on the card was also out of focus.” International driving permits are only necessary for people travelling to a foreign country, not residents, and they are worthless without an original licence too.
Traffic department for less than €20, or the AA in the UK for just €12. Klein confirmed this week that he had been arrested over the allegations of selling illegal licences in 2007, but that he was eventually found not guilty at Malaga High court. “I was found not guilty and as a result I feel happy to continue selling the permits,” Klein told the Olive Press. “I clearly state that this is not a licence. This is an international driving permit which requires people to use their own licence with it,” he added. However in the adverts, which appear in publications including The News, the per-
mits are offered clearly as ‘licences’ (see above), a discrepancy he has failed to clear up. Either way, Klein - who lives with his wife in Nueva Andalucia - is adamant they are legal. “Why shouldn’t I sell them? If they want to go to Trafico or the AA they can. I wouldn’t Turn to page 2
Who’s the daddy?
KIDS: Ingrid and Alberto and ex-king A BELGIAN and a Catalan could become new members of the Royal Family, if their paternity suits are successful. Alberto Sola Jimenez, 58, from Catalunya, and Ingrid Jeanne Satiau, from Brussels, both claim to be the illegitimate offspring of the former king, who abdicated last week. Two lawsuits, which were filed separately by them in 2012, could now go forward, with the king having now lost his immunity to prosecution and court cases. Politicians have admitted they are now rushing to pass new legislation to protect the ex-ruler, 76, who abdicated after a 39-year reign.
Seducer
According to a senior politician, amendments will be added to a package of judicial reforms so that only the Supreme Court can hear cases against him. Two years ago, a devastating book by Spanish journalist Pilar Eyre suggested that Juan Carlos was a professional seducer who had bedded more than 1,500 women. He was even rumoured to have made a pass at Princess Diana, when she was a guest at the former king’s summer palace in Majorca in 1986. Coronation Special on Page 4
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Sola and Satiau have become close, having met in Barcelona in June. Should his court case be successful, the Catalan would technically have a right to be the country’s rightful monarch. However, he said: “I don’t seek any of this and my brother Felipe has my full support.”