Gibraltar Olive Press - Issue 71 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

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We prefer Rock to Scotland ENGLISH voters would rather keep Gibraltar than Scotland if the Brexit situation demanded it, a new poll has found. They would also prefer to keep the Rock British, rather than lose Northern Ireland. A total of 37% of English voters said losing Gibraltar would not be a price worth paying for Brexit, compared to 35% for Scotland and 31% for Northern Ireland. The hypothetical answers, posed by Panelbase, has deeply wounded many in Scotland, which only narrowly voted to stay in the Union in a referendum three years ago.

Hot potato

The poll, commissioned by pro-independence website Wings Over Scotland, put the question to 1020 people. “The voters of England – that’s Remainers and Leavers combined – would drop Scotland like a hot potato if it were somehow to be necessary to secure Brexit,” website owner Stuart Campbell insisted. “The only thing that our English cousins were almost reluctant to sacrifice was a tiny rocky outcrop of someone else’s country and has roughly the same population as Dumfries. “The English would rather hang on to the 34,000 citizens (plus some apes) of Gibraltar than the 7.2 million of Scotland and Northern Ireland.”

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Fears over first big Brexit casualty despite government giving stiff denial that Bet365 ‘plans move to Malta’ By Laurence Dollimore & Susie Granic

THE Gibraltar government has denied the Rock could be set to lose one of its biggest employers thanks to Brexit. It comes after the Times of Malta claimed Bet365 had announced it will relocate to Malta once the UK leaves the EU. In the alarming report, the newspaper claimed 1,000 workers could lose their jobs as the online gambling giant planned to take its business elsewhere. Both Bet365 and the government were this week forced to rebuke the story, claiming the company ‘remains committed’ to the Rock ‘and its workforce’. “We have decided to increase our existing presence in Malta, which provides a mature and robust regulatory environment for the industry,” a spokesman for Bet365 said.

Strong

“We can confirm that we will be retaining our strong presence in, and commitment to, Gibraltar where our main operational hub is based and will continue to maintain our existing dual regulatory and licensing strategy and presence.” Bet365 has an annual revenue of GBP1.5 billion and around 23 million customers worldwide. It is the leader of the online gaming industry, employing over 3,000 people on the Rock

European trips leaving weekly Transport and removal services

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May 23rd - June 5th 2018

A day with Spain’s most famous communist mayor to celebrate May day SEE PAGE 6

PlAce your bets

ON THE MOVE?: Bet365 denies it is leaving the Rock after the UK exits the EU

- the equivalent of 10% of the territory’s population. There have been fears since the UK’s leave vote that some

of the 30 gaming companies based in Gibraltar could move their headquarters. Financial expert Chris Cousins told the Gibraltar Olive Press the Bet365 move - if true could be catastrophic. “It would be a big loss for Gibraltar,” said the boss of fintech company Ignite. “It would be pretty devastating for the local economy.” He added: “It’s understandable that they have to prepare for such a move. “Most of their workers live across the border in Spain, if there are problems post-Brexit and there are daily three-hour border queues for example, that’s going to impact their business, so they have to hedge their bets a little.” Minister for Gambling Albert Isola meanwhile agreed that Bet365 was managing risk by scaling up in Malta, but said the company was not leaving the Rock. He said: “We understand that business

needs certainty and has to manage risk. “There is no single risk management solution here as the issues are complex. “That is why we are working with operators and with other jurisdictions to establish the best overall regulatory framework in which to do business.” He added: “They are not leaving Gibraltar by any stretch of the imagination. Neither are they having to choose between us and Malta. “What remains true is that Gibraltar remains the jurisdiction of choice for the most

reputable gaming companies in the world. Brexit isn’t going to change that.” A cyber security expert who works for several gaming companies told the Gibraltar Olive Press other big names in the industry were considering an emergency relocation from the Rock in case of unfavourable Brexit outcomes. “It’s the clever thing to do, every big gaming company I work for has what’s called a Disaster Recovery (DR) site in another location, and Bet365’s DR in Malta was set up two to three years ago.” Asked whether Bet365 or the government would withhold information about the alleged move, the expert, who asked to remain anonymous, added: “It’s an extremely delicate situation, news like that could have big consequences on the industry and Gibraltar itself. “It’s not something you would want to become publicly known.”

CRIME

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NEWS IN BRIEF

What a knight FORMER Chief Minister Sir Joe Bossano has been knighted for a lifetime of service to the Rock at the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list.

High time THE Gibraltar government is considering a proposal for the growth of legal cannabis products, after being approached to develop a pharmaceutical company.

Lots to sea AN expert marine biologist has called the Strait of Gibraltar a ‘natural laboratory’ due to its rich biodiversity, while low levels of microplastics were found in surface waters.

097

Stories and features in this edition of Gibraltar’s original community newspaper

ALGECIRAS: Crackdown

ALGECIRAS is braced for violence following the death of a young boy whose family has links to a drug gang. The eight-year-old was killed when a controversial RHIB speedboat collided with the vessel in which he was sailing with his father. Police have put extra security measures in place in a bid to prevent any attacks of vengeance by the boy’s family. The two drivers of the speedboat

May 23rd - June 5th 2018

Red alert were arrested but one was later released and police fear he could be targeted. The boy’s father is a member of the notorious Pantoja clan and, accord-

Scot free!

Alleged Gibraltar-based fraudster breaks record for biggest debt of any Scottish person in history AN alleged Scottish fraudster who scammed people using his Gibraltar company owes up to a record £120 million, it has been revealed. Gregory King, 49, was declared bankrupt by a Gibraltar court last summer with debts of £7.5 million after an alleged multi-million-pound property scam. His court-appointed trustee, Adrian Hyde of CVR Global - which has offices on the Rock - has revealed he owes between £115 million and £120 million to various pension funds, family trusts and investment funds. Hyde said: “The judgment that made him bankrupt was for £7.5 million but his

total debts are going to be in the region of £115 million to £120 million. “We’re now going to pay a dividend of £2 million at the end of March. That is the first one but I’m hoping there will be further ones later this year.”

Fraudulent

King’s Advalorem Value Asset Fund, based on the Rock, offered returns of up to 10% on investments via property deals in Scotland. But the Financial Services Commission (FSC) alleged that they were fraudulent, claiming the company bought property at inflated

UNDER FIRE: King prices. The FSC decided to move to shut down the company. It made Hyde its special trustee who then moved for King to be made bankrupt. Glasgow-born King had previously owned the Isle of Man-based hedge fund Heather Capital, which attracted about £400 million

from property investors worldwide before going bust in 2010. Heather, like the Gibraltar-based Advalorem, was also accused of being fraudulent, with an Isle of Man judge likening it to a Ponzi investment scheme. It has been alleged that around £90 million was unaccounted for. A five-year probe by a court in the UK failed to result in a criminal prosecution and the case was dropped last month. Hyde said: “I find it staggering and disappointing that for all these years he has been spending money like it’s going out of fashion.” King, who holds the record as the most indebted Scottish person ever, has denied any wrongdoing.

ing to Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido, has a criminal record for drug trafficking. The Pantoja gang has ties to Abdella El Haj, nicknamed the ‘Messi of Hashish’ and leader of the largest marijuana trafficking organisation in the Campo area. The increased security has seen about 100 officers brought in from across the region to work with the Guardia Civil in the town. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo spoke to the mayor of Algeciras, José Ignacio Landaluce, to express his condolences. He added that he welcomes “the decision which has been taken to ban high powered rigid inflatable boats (RHIBs), as Gibraltar did 23 years ago”.

Police take a battering SEVEN people have been arrested after a mob attacked a group of off duty police with clubs and bottles in Algeciras. A 40-strong gang allegedly attacked the Guardia group after they dined at a local restaurant out of uniform. The fight left eight of the police needing hospital treatment, mostly minor injuries, and only stopped after one fired three shots in the air. Four of the seven detained allegedly have police records for drugtrafficking. The Guardia Civil claimed the attack could have been in ‘retaliation’ for the recent crackdown on mafia gangs in the drug trafficking hotspot. The officers are part of a specialised team that deployed in Cadiz.

Ne ws

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Taxi to the Rock EYES peeled, mobiles at the ready as a trio of Spanish stars are in town for a new feature film. Spanish stars Dani Rovira, Joaquin Furriel and Ingrid Garcia are filming around the Rock and La Linea all week for Taxi to Gibraltar. Shooting on the buddy movie about an angry, debt-ridden taxi driver and his Argentinian conman released from prison has moved south having filmed in Madrid and the village of Higuera de la Sierra, in Huelva. In the film, directed by Alejo Flah, the

Knockout deal for Conor CONOR McGregor is soon to join the Marbella jetset after purchasing a luxury holiday home for a cool €1.5million. Located near La Resina Golf Course on the resort called “The Heights” in between the celebrity hotspot and Estepona, the property features an LED lit driveway, customised gym and a home spa. The villa also includes the latest home smart technology, a wine cellar and a lift to boot. The MMA fighter will no doubt use the posh pad as a place to keep his head down following a fracas in Brooklyn, New York. The 29-year-old was among a group of people filmed throwing items at a bus full of fighters outside the Barclays Centre following a UFC 223 media day.

CAST: Filming in Gib

lives of the two men intersect on a journey to Gibraltar. En route they meet up with Sandra, a woman from a small town in Andalucia, who is also eager to escape. They embark on an adventure to find the lost gold supposedly hidden by the British in the tunnels of Gibraltar during the Second World War. The last time actress Garcia, who plays Sandra, visited the Rock she had dirt thrown at her by a monkey during a family visit and had to wear a patch for two days. “My father quickly rushed me to a fountain to wash off the dirt but the water was salty which made it worse,” she said.

The Don lives at last! After the unluckiest production in history, Terry Gilliam’s Don Quixote epic finally gets released By Elisa Menendez

IT took three decades to get there… and the lives of two leading men. Now, Terry Gilliam’s film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote has finally hit the big screens. Appropriately dedicated to the memory of John Hurt and Jean Rochefort - who had both previously taken the role before disaster struck - it had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival at the weekend. And true to form Monty Python director Gilliam almost didn’t

Rocky salute BIG SCREEN: 29 years in the making make it after he had a stroke just two weeks before. But he was there proudly showing off his film alongside Pirates of the Caribbean star Jonathan Pryce and Star Wars actor Adam Driver. After securing financing for the movie 29 years ago, Gilliam was plagued with illness, the death of actors, flooded sets, lawsuits and insurance difficulties. So feted was the film, that in 2002 Gilliam released the documentary, Lost in La Mancha,

Estate

During the attack, which injured two fighters and cause three fights to be cancelled, McGregor was seen throwing a trolley through the bus window. It is believed to have been in retaliation for a run-in earlier in fight week between Nurmagomedov and McGregor’s teammate Artem Lobov. McGregor, who earlier in the day crashed a press conference at the arena, is set to appear in court on June 14 and if found guilty of assault could face up to seven years in jail. The Irish national will be in good sporting company on the estate with England footballer Harry Winks having invested in the development last year and golfer Michael Campbell acting as ambassador for the brand.

LAVISH: New house

CANNES PREMIERE: Gilliam, Pryce and Driver AMERICAN, Italian and even Bulgarians are to star in this year’s International Guitar Festival in Ronda. The US Ian Sconti Trio will be joined by Marco Battaglia, from Italy, and Bozhana Pavlova, from Bulgaria, in a series of fabulous concerts being held in the historic mountain town. The five-day festival, from June 5, was founded in 2015 by Andalucian maestro Paco Seco, alongside British wife Lucy Stewart, of the Ronda Guitar House “We are delighted to be celebrating the legacy that is the guitar; a great promoter of Spanish culture!” Lucy told

featuring Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis, which told the story of one of the abandoned versions. Even this time it almost had its release delayed after Gilliam became locked in a legal battle with former producer Paul Branco, who claimed his company owned the rights to the film.

Struggle

Loosely based on the celebrated Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes, the 2018 comedyadventure sees Driver play a cynical advertising director who gets caught up in the delusions of an old shoe-maker, who believes he is Don Quixote. In what has infamously become one of the most troubled productions in movie history, Gilliam said the constant uphill struggle has been a blessing in disguise. “It’s not the film I set out to make, it’s a much better film,” insisted Gilliam. “The film I set out (to make) was just not a patch on what this film is. “It’s taken all those years of marinating in my life to get there.”

THE people of Gibraltar have joined in with millions around the world to watch and celebrate the Royal Wedding of Harry and Meghan Markle. While many watched the wedding from their own homes thousands of visitors gathered in Ocean Village to watch the day unfold on television before enjoying food and drink outside in true community style with bunting and an arch of red, white and blue balloons. The crowd waved flags and cheered when they caught glimpses of guests including David Beckham, Elton John and George Clooney. In particular, they loved the service at Windsor Castle where Markle wore a dress by British designer Clare Waight Keller. The joyous occasion kicked off with entertainment with live music from Laura Oldfield, who sang a Best of British set, followed by three fabulous dance performances.

Enthralled

A stilt walker enthralled the crowd with a dance routine and juggling, while a face painter drew on excited children’s faces. The Fancy Dress Competition was well attended, with each child awarded for taking part. “It was a fantastic day, not only for Harry and Meghan, but also for the entire community who joined us at Ocean Village to create such a great atmosphere,” said Emilia Hazell-Smith, Marketing Executive of Ocean Village. Elsewhere on the Rock, the Governor, Edward Davis, led three cheers for the happy couple at the end of a Ceremonial Guard Mount, in Convent Place. He was joined in the balcony by Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and his family, alongside other GIB: Celebrates distinguished guests.

Guitar greats the Olive Press. “The festival strives to highlight the versatility of styles that the guitar embraces: classical, romantic, flamenco, jazz and contemporary. Appealing to the musical tastes of a wide audience.” All the festival’s activities will be held at the Santo Domingo exhibition centre in the heart of the historical old-town with two concerts per night. There will also be an exhibition of guitars, including the work of 10 master luthiers from Spain, Italy, Portugal, UK and Canada.

Photo by Johnny Bugeja

CELEB HOTSPOT: Costa

By Elisa Menendez

May 23rd - June 5th 2018

HATS OFF: Cheering the happy couple

NE WS

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Red line on the runway! A ROW over whether to allow Spain to install police at Gibraltar airport is causing a Brexit standoff. Spain’s demand to have Guardia Civil officers after Brexit to police Schengen borders is a no go ‘red line’ for the Rock. Gibraltar Conservative MEP, Ashley Fox, said it would be ‘simply unacceptable’ to have Spanish police at the Gibraltar airport and claimed Spain is ‘trying it on’. The government also insisted that they would not allow Spanish authorities to exercise control in any way that would threaten The Rock’s sovereignty.

Sovereignty

Deputy Prime Minister Joseph Garcia, said: “Gibraltar will not give an inch of its sovereignty, jurisdiction and control.” The dispute came after Spanish Foreign secretary Alfonso Dastis said Spain wants to make a deal with the Rock regarding police enforcement at the airport ‘for the benefit of the entire zone’. He insists the airport lies on an isthmus which links the Rock to La Linea and sits partly on disputed territory. There has long been discussion on sharing the airport with the Spanish having their own entrance directly to the terminal and their own customs.

May 23rd - June 5th 2018

‘Gobsmacked’ Former GSD leader shocked by ‘unethical’ Assad sale

THE former leader of the isn't, but it is definitely unopposition in Gibraltar has ethical, very unethical. labelled the controversial Ri"The judge says it is de facto faat al-Assad sale as 'unethiself-dealing, self-dealing is cal' and suggested the money conflict of interest. made should be sent to Syr"It's frowned upon very seian refugees. riously by lawyers everyPeter Cumming, who was where." head of the GSD for two His views came after his foryears, told GBC that the sale mer party the GSD demandshould have been 'continued to know if there would be ously reviewed' esan official investipecially given that gation over the sale the 'assets of Mr of 6-9 Europort to Assad have been a trust linked to the QUESTION seized in other family of the Rock's OF ETHICS countries'. Financial Services ‘ "I was gobMinister. smacked when I Independent MP ‘ read it," he said, Marlene Hassan "I was expectNahon added it was T ing an avalanche a matter of 'moral of analysis and conscience' to betpublic comment, ter explain the deal. but when I saw However, Cumming silence day after day, I tried added to the furore, by into make a comment myself sisting: "This is suspicious publicly and I have been unmoney. able to until now. "If France and Spain can "There are so many issues freeze the assets, why can't involved here of a great imwe do the same? portance to Gibraltar, and so "It would be nice to think in many very important people an ideal world that the money involved that this is a major would be sent to the Syrian issue for Gibraltar. refugees." "I think that we need to try to Rifaat is nicknamed the discuss it all." ‘Butcher of Hama’ for allegHe added: "This might not edly ordering the death of up be illegal, in fact it probably to 25,000 Syrians while actEst. 1946

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Hacking fears

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It’s a matter of ‘moral conscience’

GIB May 9th LAD DONE - May 22nd 2018 GOOD...

May 9th - May 22nd 2018

to explain £17.5 million deal with

Galliano stuns NY with Rihanna outfit SEE PAGE 3

the ‘Butcher of Hama’

By Elisa Menendez

A TOP website security expert fears official data could have been compromised after the government website was hacked twice by infamous cyber group Anonymous. The IT expert, who works at a leading gaming company, believes that the attack which led to the official website being down for three days was ‘very nerve-wracking’.

DEAL: With al-Assad Data “If they have a faulty process that allows someone to take Opposition slam over the government-controlled website, they can use lack of clarity over the same process to hack key the controversial There are legitimate questions in the public interdata stores,” the cyber profesest that fall to be investigated and sional, who asked to remain Assad Europort respect of the Assad Trust case. answered in anonymous, told the Olive sale DEAL WITH “Mr Al-Assad is facing serious Press. CHOKING THE DEVIL in relation to crimes in Syria. historic allegations His worries were backed up There are currently international proceedings in by shadow Minister for FiBy Laurence Dollimore France and Spain to freeze his assets and those of his nance, Roy Clinton, who confamily.’ firmed he would be asking further questions in Parlia- OPPOSITION parties KEITH AZOPARDI have ment on the case. blasted the Gibraltar governHe told the Olive Press this ment for failing week he has ‘concerns’ about controversial to react to the Rifaat al-Assad the security of the website deal FLASHBACK: Last issue for the Europort buildand how the shock attacks ing. This issue should be explained were able to happen. to the Gibralto show the world that we have The GSD politician said: “I Independent MP Marlene Hastarian people in a way that a high standard of ethics and a sincerely hope the hackers san Nahon insisted the governby all, and not buried under is understandable layers of legal jarmoral conscience, as well as bedidn’t get any sensitive infor- ment needed to explain the deal gon and coded language. ing a robust financial centre.” mation. If they did it would be to show it has a ‘moral con“It is the good reputation science’, rather than burying it The GSD yesterday joined the of Gibraltar PLC which is at stake here, and under ‘layers of legal jargon’. Continues on Page 4 that has the potential fray when it insisted it would be to affect all of us.’ Meanwhile the GSD has asked raising questions in Parliament Opinions see page 6 if an investigation is to be and wanted to know if the Atlaunched over the sale and purMARLENE HASSAN NAHON torney General was investigatchase of the building, which is ing the sale. linked to the family of Gibral- the ‘serious historic allegations’ It also asked if any ‘distributar’s Financial Services Minis- against the so-called ‘Butcher jority owned by trusts associ- Europe. tions’ to Rifaat from the sale ated with the finance minister “I believe ter. this issue has to be ex- were to be ‘frozen’ in Gibraltar. of Hama’, the uncle of Syrian Albert Isola and his family. plained president Bashar al-Assad. The Isolas deny that the build- tarian in detail to the Gibral- In a series of written questions, people in a way that is Azopardi asked: The case broke after it was re- ing was Killing sold at an under value. understandable by all,” Nahon OCPL (Office of “What is the vealed that Rifaat - who earnt According Criminal ProsIn a series of key questions, its his nickname to GBC, the ecution) doing in relation to this after allegedly company Fiduciary alsoIsolas’ said in a statement. leader Keith Azopardi QC asked killing part- She added it should ‘not be bur- case?”. last night if the sale was being - was up to 25,000 Syrians managed the sale for Rifaat, ied under layers of selling the building for who is being He ATTACK: Site screenshot probed by legal bodies, given £17.5 million probed for money and coded language’.legal jargon eraladded: “Is the Attorney Geninvestigating to a company ma- laundering, tax evasion and “It is the good reputation of “In the light of this matter? current internacorruption in France, Spain and Gibraltar PLC which is at stake tional proceedings the UK. here, and that has the potential tions to the Assad are distribufamily to be The sale comes at a convenient to affect frozen by local authorities?” time for Rifaat, who has seen Nahon us all.” added: “Gibraltar The Government has yet to hundreds of properties and should bank accounts frozen around practice be a beacon of good comment on the case. and we should be able “We have spoken to Fabian Picardo about this and we don’t know yet if he is going to comment,” a spokesman told the Olive Press last night. he Olive Press is dedicated to readership is informed of all ensuring that its Letter interest. There is no doubt thatmatters of public the Assad/Isola Meanwhile lawyers representaffair is a matter of huge ing the Isola family have sent a in Gibraltar but internationally. public interest, not just detailed letter to the Gibraltar Suffice to say that the main opposition party in the GiOlive Press demanding we rebraltar parliament and independent member Ms Nahon move our previous articles on have asked for an explanation. the case and do not publish ‘any Our commitment to the free flow of accurate informafurther inaccurate, sensationaltion is undimmed. ist and or defamatory articles’. Having read the letter sent to us today by the solicitors However, we believe it is a for the Isola family we will take legal advice and check matter of public interest upon and re-check all the facts. Adept Transport Ltd which questions need to be anIf we find that anything which adepttransport 1 swered (see comment left). inaccurate we will immediately we have reported on is rectify this. The controversy comes two Similarly should we find out more weeks after the Gibraltar govconsider the public has a right information that we ernment website was mysteripublish it. Gibraltar has a right to know then we will to transparency and a ously hijacked by hacking colright to know. lective Anonymous.

Public interest questions

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CHANGES April 25th AFOOT -

8th 2018 An Olive PressMay campaign to landmark breakthroughleads lethal drug which killed for countless expats

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April 25th - May 8th

SEE PAGE 6

2018

BAD AIR: In Gib

GREEN groups are ing that pollution from warnships could be seriously damaging the health of Gibraltarians. A damning report by Ecologistas en Accion, alongside German ecological group NABU, claims that ultra-fine particles from boats 1982 - is currently under invesStraits are up to 70 in the tigation in many countries. times higher than in cities. He is alleged to have invested The study claimed that hundreds of millions into one recent reading measured erty in France and Spain prop- with 143,000 ultra-fine particles more than 500 properties per cubic centimetre Marbella alone, it has been in in the alair near the Rock. leged. While the local group Spanish police raided 15 Verdemar admitted the measure properties in Marbella lastof his was taken just after after judge Jose de la year Mata parture of a ship thethe delaunched a money laundering ence between ‘normal’differBy Laurence Dollimore investigation. levels of approximately city Many of his Spanish properties 2,000 particles per cubic centimetre were allegedly bought through is ‘alarming’. A GIBRALTAR office trusts set up in Gibraltar. owned by the uncle ofbuilding According to a high level Gidictator Bashar al-AssadSyrian braltar source, Assad is MAKING A KILLING: is beSerious ‘likely ing bought in a knock-down selling the Gibraltar Rifaat cashing in via It added such levels deal by a company linked Isola to unlock some cash property could to a versial deal was brokered by while cause ‘serious environmental government minister. accounts and property his a sister company - Fiduciary and his own civilians - includand health problems’ court ruling, the property Europort Trust, managed been embargoed in Spainhave ing many children to the - also run by the family local population. and ing sold to Glenthorne is be- France’. nancial Services Minister by Fi- of trusts bloody civil war. - during the Lawrence, Albert and Trust, Albert The European Commision Isola and two of his relatives, Peter Ironically the buildHe added: “Whatever way which, again, is Isola. has already calculated you selling 6-9 Europort owned is The CRIME look at this, this is bad ing houses various 75% owned by the purchase is set to by for Giup to 50,000 people die that ‘the Butcher go key braltar PLC. It is not good family trusts of preof Hama’ government through No bail for maturely from air pollution for al-Assad for £13 million Rifaat Assad’s despite hundreds of bodies, our reputation. Spanish Lawrence, Albert includcaused by ships, in particular jewel thief a valuation price, a court under France, properties around ing the Financial “It is surprising that the and Peter Isola. judgeSpain and the French due to emissions of ment shows. and Spanish judges did As revealed by the ing currently embargoedUK be- Intelligence Unit and nitrogen oxide. sulphur The sensational not force an embargo in Gibraltar Olive Press, last isruling authorities, while he is by the (GFIU) and even Both groups are calling the Isola family tried - which probed being too. sue, Rifaat - who to keep for money laundering, Albert Isola’s own much stricter regulations for private - reveals FOUND IN “Ultimately where did Ministry of Finanearned the nickFUENGIROLA pollutants by these vessels, on erty was bought that the prop- corruption and tax evasion. this money come from in cial Services. name ‘the Butcher in for £17.5 It also comes to light the first a bid to cut back on pollution. in the Under 091 lion, well under its official mil- same place?” of Hama’ when he the deal, month that Syrian £31 million value. A legal source added: killed up to 25,000 tor Bashar Assad was dicta- which has been Continues on Page accused And furthermore, the 4 is huge and the whole “This people in a ruthcontro- again of gassing opponents revealed by a stinks. It’s unlikely to go thing public Supreme less crackdown on away BUTCHER: Last issue in a hurry.” Sunni Muslims in Opinion see page 6

Trust linked to government minister buys key Rock property from Syria’s evil ‘Butcher of Hama’

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Trial set for exiled Syrian who used companiesGib to invest ‘stolen money’ into Spanish properties

Walk of shame

TWO Gibraltarian men have been extradited from Spain, frontier, aftervia the land a European Arrest Warrant was issued for GBH last August.

Ganja getaway

Washed out April 11th

- April 24th

THE uncle dent Basharof Syrian Presial-Assad is nally set to fiface trial following a Europe-wide leged ill-gotten probe into alDubbed the gains. his ‘Butcher Hama’, Rifaat of and properties in Marbella al-Assad, 80, Puerto amassed his from Syria’s after judge Banus last year coffers during the fortune in Syria 1980s, before launched a Jose de la Mata when he was exiledby Rifaat legedly using money laundering 1980s. al- investigation. in the Gibraltar and companies in Rifaat and A total of chase more Panama to purbelieved to his relatives are than 500 proper16 people 76 companies and properties, have bought ties in Spain 503 ‘BUTCHER’: and dozens property connected including garages, chateaus in Rifaat of accounts empire, had to the holiday homes, France. their apartments Spanish cops France. luxury frozen. raided 15 Some and countryhotel His largest tates. of lieved €300 million esis the 3,000property in Spain to have been is be- Most of hectare the looted in the Marbellaproperties are La Maquina, which estate of takes up a as well as third in and of the area of Benahavis is worth a reported

A DRUG who rammedsmuggler a Guardia Civil leaving an police car, pitalised, officer hoshas been rested. The arold from La 60-yearcaught with Linea was cannabis. 27 bales of

Dole dupe

SOME 43 people have been identified in rity racket a Social Secumore than that defrauded Conspirators €15 million. were found in Cádiz, Granada, Malaga and Sevilla.

Stories and features in this edition of Gibraltar’s original community newspaper

AN Irish expat wanted a dissident republican for the murder of been arrested five years for his trial and disappeared Dean Evans, on the Costa del ago has girlfriend. Sol. with his men chargedfrom Dublin, is one Evans, along of-three Peterwith the murder of three McGrathand with 35-year-old of fatherButterfly, Edward dead in a who was ly, was due and 46-year-old car Sharif shot to stand trial March 2013. park in County on charges KelMeath in nected with the murder Spanish police conButterfly. Butterfly was of 35-year-old arrested 27-year-old ans on Thursday in a car park found collapsed Evafter lunchtime rola. in Fuengi- from a car and died he had been shot A European at It was alleged shortly after. by the Specialarrest warrant was while he was that Evans shot issued Criminal Butterfly sat in the back last year, after Evans Court in Ireland McGrath and Kelly of the car. failed to show life in were up Evans.prison after standingsentenced to trial without

2018

A SPANISH refused bail thief has been after being caught with ellery worth watches and jew50,000 pounds. Builder Antonio Sanchez, from Miguel Leon been charged Marbella, has the property with theft at Wharf, where in Cormorant he was undertaking a renovation job. The owners informed police of items missing once the works had been completed. While Sanchez the theft forensic denied analysis matched his found on the DNA to DNA jewellery boxes.

million. €60 The builder The total that he had argued in court market value merely moved all the family’s of the boxes properties and other in Spain is sonal belongings perreported to whopping €691 be a wardrobe stored in a million. so he could Last year, replace flooring. confiscated €862 million was by the French thorities, where auhe is set to on trial later go Scientific He may also this year. However this Switzerland, face charges in with was at been under where he has view his initial police odds when he denied interinvestigation since 2013 them or touching seeing for war crimes allegedly committed inside the wardrobe.anything 1980s. in the Stipendiary Rifaat’s brother Magistrate Charles Pitto expelled him from Syria denied bail, insisting his he feared hein the 80s because was organising odds with account was at political coup. the court’s An announce-a dence ment on a eviand the supporting scientific evidence. the comingtrial is expected in weeks.

Sanchez will court on May next appear in 2.

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How Rifaat and

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Courtesy of GBC

‘SUSPICIOUS’: Assad and (right) Cumming seen hundreds of properties and bank accounts frozen around Europe. "I believe this issue has to be explained in detail to the Gibraltarian people in a way that is understandable by all," Nahon said in a statement. While the government declined to comment to the Olive Press, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo told GBC the proposed sale of Europort buildings is an example of Evasion 'how well Gibraltar complies The Isolas deny that the with its international obligabuilding was sold at an un- tions and co-operates with dervalue and deny any inap- international investigations'. propriate conflict of interest. Picardo said the relevant matAccording to GBC, the Isolas' ters have been raised before company Fiduciary also part- the Supreme Court in public, managed the sale for Rifaat, transparently by the relevant who is being probed for mon- licensed professionals. ey laundering, tax evasion He defended the Minister and corruption in France, for Financial Services, Albert Spain and the UK. Isola, as a 'man of undoubted The sale comes at a conve- integrity and a great asset to nient time for Rifaat, who has Gibraltar.'

ing as a military leader in the country before he was exiled. His nephew now runs the country and is alleged to have gassed his own people in the ongoing civil war. The case broke after it was revealed that Rifaat was selling the building for £17.5 million to a company majority owned by trusts associated with the Isola family.

Immigrant kidnappers caught FIVE people have been arrested on suspicion of kidnapping immigrants in Algeciras. The Guardia Civil detained four Moroccans and one Spaniard a mixture of men and women as part of an operation launched last August. The gang has been charged was imprisoning immigrants before demanding money from their families in exchange for their return. They focused on incoming immigrants who appeared to come from wealthy families and would promise to help them reunite with their families in Spain.

Ransom

They instead transported them to a house in La Bajadilla, in Algeciras. The immigrants were locked in rooms, stripped of all belongings, then interrogated to determine how much money could be asked from their relatives for their safe return. The gang would then contact the relatives by telephone and ask them to pay a ransom of anything between €500 and €2,000, depending on the family’s financial circumstances. The men were responsible for finding the immigrants and transporting them to the house, while the women were in charge of the custody and surveillance of the victims.

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A campaigning, community newspaper, the Gibraltar Olive Press represents the local and expatriate communities working or living on the Rock with 10,000 copies distributed fortnightly.

OPINION

Avoiding disaster THE news that one of the Rock’s biggest companies could be considering moving to Malta should be a real cause for concern. While Bet365 has said it will stay committed to Gibraltar, the facts seem to suggest that it is preparing for a move in the event of a worst case Brexit scenario. As an expert revealed to us, most big companies on the Rock have a Disaster Recovery (DR) site - a location in another country that is ready to move to at a moment’s notice. It is therefore significant that the biggest gaming company in Gibraltar is ramping up its DR offices in Malta. While they may not have officially made the decision to leave or scale down operations on the Rock, the scaling up of the Malta site means the market leader in one of Gibraltar’s most important industries does not have full confidence in the Brexit process. Let’s hope some REAL clarity can be given to business leaders and citizens over the coming months as the UK’s leaving date approaches. The last thing the Gibraltar economy needs is Bet365 setting off a domino effect of companies relocating to another territory, especially gaming companies, which employ around 3,000 people. The effects would be felt not only on the Rock, but in neighbouring Spain, where much of the gaming companies’ staff reside in the Campo de Gibraltar. Publisher/ Editor

Jon Clarke jon@theolivepress.es

Newsdesk newsdesk@theolivepress.es Tel: (+34) 665 798 618 News editor

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Clarke Media Ltd. Registration number: 113878 Suite 2B, 143 Main Street, Gibraltar Printed by Corporación de Medios de Andalucía S.A. Desposito legal 834-2017

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May 23rd - June 5th 2018

After May Day demonstrations divided Spain, Elisa Menendez (right) took a trip to Europe’s most communist town where everyone is equal

PORTRAIT of Che Guevara casts He has been in office ever since. a watchful eye over a room The struggle for ‘land to those who work adorned with socialist memora- on it’ continued for another decade, bilia from all over the world. through 1980’s historic 700-strong A sculpture of two giant marble fists ‘hunger strike against hunger’ which bound by a broken metal chain, in- lasted for 13 days and involving occuscribed with the name MARINALEDA pations of nearby private estates that has pride of place on a grand wooden were not being cultivated. desk. For 90 days Marinaleda villagers ocBehind it sits a small, bearded man cupied the Cortijo de los Humosos, a wearing a Palestinian ‘keffiyeh’ heads- farmhouse owned by a wealthy duke carf and a multi-coloured shirt. who left its vast fields uncultivated He is Juan Manuel Gordillo Sanchez, while families starved. mayor of the last communist town in Daily, the Guardia Civil violently exEurope. pelled them, and daily they returned. “Capitalism is like King Midas,” he tells Finally, the government granted them the Olive Press, “Everything it touches the land and Marinaleda has never turns to gold, commodity, trade and looked back. death. I think the capitalist system is The duke’s cortijo now bears the proud necrophilous.” words: ‘This land belongs to all the unNow 70, he has run Marinaleda, near employed labourers of Marinaleda’. Sevilla, for almost 40 years, having “After all this, we know there is nothspent decades fighting the system to ing you can’t achieve. Even your wildest create his ‘Utopian’ village. dream can become a reality,” says Juan Everyone is offered a job at the same Manuel. salary and a house with a mortgage of And it is not just local Andalucians. just €15 euros a month, the total cost Cristopher Burke is one of the six Brits deducted if the occupant helps towards living the ‘good life’ in Marinaleda. The its upkeep. 70-year-old Liverpudlian moved to the Our trip to this small town in the heart town eight years ago with his wife after of the famously flat ‘Campina’ area be- falling in love with the community spirit tween Cordoba and Sevilla coincided during a holiday. with the nationwide May “This place grabs your Day protests which saw heart, people are so kind thousands campaigning and it’s not about money This place grabs for better working condihere. It’s great to be part tions, dignified pension your heart and it’s of something that is a payouts, higher salaries outlook on sonot about money different and more job opportuniciety.” ties. here, it’s great to Farm hand Alba Martin While regional unemployleft once before but now be a part of ment is running at 25%; she’s here to stay. “The only 4% of Marinaleda’s work is fairer than in 3,000 citizens are out of other places,” says the work. And that is mostly ‘their choice’. 24-year-old, speaking from bitter expeThe town’s success lies in a cooperative rience from when she worked in Malwhere villagers work in the fields or fac- lorca where her €600-a-month income tory to earn €47 for a 6.5 hour working didn’t go very far. day, bringing in €1,200 a month. Even “The workers are looked after here,” the unemployed receive €400 from the she adds. town each month. Picking broad beans beside her is As well as 352 hectares of olive groves, 42-year-old Antonio Casares, who reMarinaleda also cultivates broccoli, turned to his native town six years ago artichokes, broad beans and peppers, after working in construction in Barcewhich are jarred at the factory and dis- lona and Ibiza. tributed across the country, creating a He too worked for a ‘miserable’ salary year-round harvest. of €600. “The money from sales is reinvested “You can’t live on that,” says Antonio, into the town to improve the community. whose wife and teenage daughter work It is never for anyone’s personal profit. alongside him in the fields. “The land is for anyone who wants it,” “The working days are a lot shorter and says the mayor. life is better here, you feel protected.” Marinaleda’s journey to Utopia began Antonio believes in Marinaleda’s modafter years el as it has provided almost everyof repres- LEADER: Juan one with a job and he says it’s all sion under Manuel Sanchez thanks to the mayor. Gordillo is Franco, voted in with an overwhelming mawhen unjority every year. employment “If it weren’t for him, we would not stood at have this,” he says. 80% and It is clear the town’s folk Gordillo saw ‘hunger reach greatly respect the mayor, the stomachs of many lawho was allegedly the bourer families’. subject of multiple asFour decades later, the sassination attempts for Union of Farm Workhis political protests. ers was born leading At his request, everyto the first demoone calls him by his cratic elections since first name and gosthe collapse of the sips with him like a Republican governclose friend. ment. And he has time for The workers’ colleceveryone he bumps tive CUT (Colectivo de into. Unidad de los TrabaA history teacher unjadores) gained an abtil four years ago, solute majority in Marinahe lives on a modleda and at the age of 30, est street of small Gordillo was elected mayor. terraced houses.

It’s well-known he has never taken a mayor’s salary and earns the same as everyone else. “I don’t think anyone is more important than anyone else,” he tells me. During the recession, this revolutionary made international headlines, leading raids on supermarkets to provide food for the hungry. Some called him a Robin Hood, others a robbing troublemaker. “The true thief is capitalism. It is a thief of human rights,” he insists. “Europe is the biggest food importer in the world, yet it is throwing its farmers and labourers into bankruptcy.” And what would he say to people who call him a rebel? “Well I am a rebel,” he responds with a mischievous smile. “Rules are made to

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Fe at u re

A day in Utopia

Each print issue of the Olive Press can be read in its entirety on www.theolivepress.es May 23rd - June 5th 2018And our site is updated daily with the latest news, making it one of Spain’s most visited news websites.

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lucia’s biggest shopping and leisure centre - 3122 views

Statistics for: May 8 - May 22  Gibraltar schoolgirl reaches semi -final204,327 of Spanish TV talent show Unique visitors: 3065 views Pageviews: 237,408

HISTORIC: Farmhouse once owned by wealthy capitalist and (left) workers sort broad beans

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be broken.” When rules are broken in police-free Marinaleda, civilians face nothing more than a stern word from the mayor. “We do not punish anyone. Education is better than repression,” he says. However expat Cristopher warns: “Because it has a reputation of having no police, it can attract people buying and selling drugs from other places - like a mini drug market.” Although Marinaleda is dubbed communist, the mayor describes it as a melting pot of ideologies – socialism, communism and humanism. He draws inspiration from the likes of Gandhi, Lenin, Marx and, of course, Che Guevara, his Cuban hero. Unlike strict communist models, he believes this system can work anywhere in the modern world.

MURAL: Youth call for socialism in Andalucia

“The main objective should be to conserve public property, such as land, housing and energy. “There needs to be a direct exchange between the producer and the consumer, with no private business in the

middle. “If we continue to be ruled by money and by the selfishness of the global market, we will be on our way to WWIII. “The system is just a new type of fascism,” he adds, while admitting that his ‘utopian’ model is difficult to achieve as many people don’t like sharing. With Gordillo’s age and health problems, the question on everyone’s lips is what will happen when he is no longer here? “It’s the $64,000 question,” says Cristopher. “People want it to carry on but he is the central pillar.” And it is too early to know if the mayor’s only son, aged seven, will continue his legacy. Only the mayor is not worried. “This is a collective effort,” he says simply. “I would like the project to be continued for a future of solidarity. And I have faith it will.”

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ibraltar International Song Festival, June 2

NOW in its eighth year the famous festival returns to the Rock with finalists from all over the world, with Rosario Flores performing as a headline act.

he Amy Winehouse Experience, June 2

FIVE star yacht Sunborn Hotel welcomes singer Emma Wright performing as Amy Winehouse along with a big band for one night only, with dinner and theatre tickets available.

pring Visual Arts Festival, May 23 June 2

andpits’ Charity Family Fun Day, June 2

THE competition which is open to Gibraltarians aged 16 and over, will see all entries on display for the general public at Gustavo Bacarisas Gallery.

FUN and games will be taking place from 8.30am to 7.30pm, with food, refreshments and live music for £5 a ticket.

la cultura c ampo

May 23rd - June 5th 2018

TAKE a walk around Malaga and you can’t miss the 80s video game-inspired work of French street artist Invader. His trademark pixel mosaics can be found on street corners and the sides of buildings across the city. But it could all be gone soon, with the Junta revealing plans to remove every single piece of Invader’s art. Malaga City Council has given the order to scrub off the images, arguing that some of

Popular festival returns to Cadiz with stars including Noa Lur and Carlos Sarduy A HOST of global jazz superstars have been lined up for the 11th international Jazz festival in Cadiz. Tickets are now on sale for the event, which includes shows from Eva Cortes, Jose Carra and Cuban trumpeter Carlos Sarduy. The festival draws in lovers of jazz from all over Spain and abroad for its six days of musical brilliance. The concerts will be held in the Baluarte de la Candelaria with jam sessions at The Hotel Parador Atlántico and is free for anybody who wishes to attend. The jazz festival, now in its eleventh year,www.rondaguitarfest was first held in 2008 and takes place

Game over?

them are located on buildings of cultural Interest. Invader claims to have created more than 3,000 works in 71 cities around the world. In June 2017, he made the Catholic church in Malaga furious by drawing a trademark pixelated flamenco dancer on the side of the city’s episcopal palace.

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A BRITISH filmmaker is creating a documentary about abandoned dogs in Andalucia and he needs your help. STREET ART: Invader Londoner Paul Murphy was compelled to make the film after he drove 1,600 miles to the Download our app town now and of Los Barrios to adopt a sick dog which had been begin enjoying the stray, best Spanish news on the go. rescued by a local shelter. But nothing could prepare him for the shocking amount of abandoned animals he found at the dog pound. Dogland follows the lives of a group of volunteers who took control of the shelter, where dogs would previously be killed if unclaimed within 10 days. After working relentlessly the pound into a sanctuThe Oliveto turn Press ary, disaster struck. from July 24. Los Barrios shelter was TOPsee forthe newsThe in Spain! This year will also flooded in December 2016 and brilliant Noa Lur who re- all animals were evacuated. cently released her album Now Murphy is looking for moThe Troublemaker to great bile film footage of the floods acclaim. and dogs being rescued to inThe first to perform at the clude in the documentary. Baluarte will be noted jazz Anyone with footage is urged ensemble The Resistance. to contact paul@paulmurphy. Consisting of eleven musi- com. cians from three different generations, the ensemble always aims to provoke.

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Marbella

Issue 71

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Our star is risingagain

Marbella may be an international brand but some things never change. Olive Press news editor Laurence Dollimore digs beneath the glitz to unearth the character he has known for two decades

HINK Marbella and a glamorous jet-set lifestyle springs to mind. The classiest hotels, the liveliest nightclubs and the most fashionable and well-heeled clientele found anywhere in Andalucia and maybe Spain. But peel back the ‘Marbs mask’ (you know, all the Arab billionaires, reality TV stars and ex-Premiership footballers) and you’ll find its hidden character and history. Before we go any further, I’ll admit it. I was lucky enough to grow up with a holiday home here, up in the leafy Guadalmina hills. This pretty much meant sun, sea and sand on tap, along with many a late night staggering along the infamous second

row of Puerto Banus sometimes known as ‘hurricane alley’. In other words, during my misspent youth sprawled out on award-winning beaches by day and crawling out of head-spinning bars by night, I never got to know Marbella’s deeper persona. Over a decade later, no longer a callow and shallow teenager, I am doubly lucky to have been given a second chance at living here (albeit having to work hard), thanks to ‘the boss’ at the Olive Press. And while the temptations in this tourist honeypot remain, I am finally appreciating the culture, the history and so much else that has changed for the better. Continues on Page 9

A-LIST: Recent visitors include Michele Obama, Robert de Niro and Hugh Grant

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Marbella

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From Page 10

The resort has grown into an international brand, becoming one of Spain’s most lucrative tourist destinations. The stats don’t lie. In 2017 Marbella welcomed around four million international tourists and this year is set to be even better. People come here to see and be seen, whether its a hen-do thirsty for a splash of glamour, rubberneckers desperate to see a star like Hugh Grant or Robert de Niro or a top politician looking for a cultural break. This chameleon-like jewel of the Costa del Sol can adapt to every visitor. Let’s start with one of the places I know best, more lounge lizard than chameleon; Puerto Banus. Stroll into the port just to the west of Marbella and you’ll witness a scene like no other, depending on the hour. This could include hendoers trying The glitz and their best to glamour flows in a pull off ill-fitting dress thick slick out of fancy costumes afcelebrating the port and along ter their last night the Golden Mile of freedom, or members of the ‘1% club’ disembarking from mega-yachts or Ferraris to shop ‘till they drop’ at the likes of Gucci and Prada. Banus has become an unashamed melting pot for the rich, famous and wannabe glamourpusses. The glitz and glamour flows in a thick slick out of the port and along Marbella’s Golden Mile, home to exclusive nightclubs Le Suite and the extravagant Roberto Cavalli – where a round of drinks could probably blow your weekly budget if you haven’t already splurged it on a swanky designer outfit – an essential if you want to mingle with the Who’s Who of Marbs. Along this same elitist strip the likes of Lord Alan Sugar, Simon Cowell, Sean Connery and the Saudi Arabian royal family have invested in their own villas. The Assad family are another story.

May 23rd - June 5th 2018

BEACH LIFE: A yoga class in the centre

Thinking globally

Labelled as ‘the new Ibiza’, Marbella exploded onto the international party scene thanks in part to reality TV shows The Only Way Is Marbs and Made In Chelsea, whose drama-packed episodes helped shape the area’s image as the place-to-be for the young and famous. When TOWIE aired a two-episode Marbella special in 2015, hotel searches soared by an incredible 72% overnight. But it’s not just reality TV stars who are raising Mar-

LEAFY: The old town is full of orange trees

bella’s profile and putting Malaga airport’s second runway into action. World leaders too, are magnetically attracted to Marbs. The Olive Press revealed in 2014 that Russian President Vladimir Putin had bought an estate here. And we were the only newspaper to speak to Michelle Obama on her famous visit to the town’s ‘casco historico’ in 2010 (ED: Well we asked her two questions, if that counts).

A couple of Britain’s ex-PMs have taken a break from politics here; David and Sam Cameron celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary in the nearby hills of Benahavís last June, staying at the exclusive €270-a-night Alcuzcuz resort, and Tony and Cherie Blair have been spotted here twice in the last four years. Actor Hugh Grant is now said to own a home up in the Zagaleta hills, as does Mark Thatcher (Maggie’s wayward son). Plenty of Premier League foot-

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May 23rd - June 5th 2018

SNAPSHOTS: Marbella’s Old Town is full of charm and is jam packed with tapas restaurants and dozens of independent shops selling everything from clothes to food and souvenirs

ballers also have homes here. to flaunt your designer beachwear than the It’s quite a list, which could go on and on… and internationally-renowned beach clubs, where these guys are not here to attend champagne all-white parties and party sessions are the spray parties. So what brings the global elite to flavour du jour all summer long. Marbella? From May to October, the beautiful and Cue the beautiful old town and its orange-scented wealthy splash their cash on Balinese sunPlaza de los Naranjos. beds, cocktails and long, lazy al fresco lunchThe Moorish pueblo is just a five-minute walk from es, check La Sala by the Sea! the world-renowned beaches and stunning 17km As for gastronomy, Marbs is a foodie’s parapromenade that runs from Marbella to San Pedro. dise twinkling with over half a dozen Michelin Orange Square – festooned with citrus trees - is star restaurants. The competitive gastrofound at the centre of the maze of streets windscene has ushered in a vast array of top qualing through the casco antiguo. Some of its quaint ity dining options that makes it a tough call whitewashed houses have been standing since the not to OD on carbs. town was re-conquered from the Moors in 1485. High profile events like A Cuatro Manos at Parts of the original 11th century Arab wall still the Puente Romano resort, which recently surround the square, while churches, the town hall brought together a veritable constellation of and the Old Governor’s House go back to the 16th chefs with 71 Michelin stars between them century. for a four-day cookathon, The Church of Saint Mary, are giving Marbella some dating from 1618, is a point serious street food cred. of pilgrimage for its stunningThe fine art scene is also Baorque red stone entrance booming, with a spate of and the most impressive galleries like Houses of organ built in Spain in the Art at the Marbella Club last 125 years – consistHotel popping up along ing of 5,000 pewter, copper the Golden Mile. and wooden pipes and four This month’s Marbella manual keyboards. International Art Festival The old town’s mosaic-cobwill showcase hundreds bled streets lead past leafy of works by artists from squares begging you to stop more than 20 different for a tapas and cana in the countries. sunshine. Stylish boutiques, The performing arts are jewellers and delicatessens also celebrated big-style. on every corner importune Marbella International you to come in and spend, Film Festival, now in its and the most amazing resseventh year, is becoming taurants set out their stalls as well-known as Cannes under designer awnings, seso you’re looking at a fuducing you to sit down and ture culture capital of Euenjoy. rope. For old school romantics, Marbella has come a long there’s the allure of a horse way from its fishing viland carriage tour while, lage days, all thanks to across from the old town, a German Prince and a cool green Alameda Gardens rogue British car engine. beckons with its stunning Maximilian de Hohenlohorticultural display and arhe-Langenburg and his ray of quaint fountains. son Alfonso had to stop EPICENTRE: Tourists and The town has come a long in Marbs when they were locals love to walk around way since the Romans settled having trouble with their Rolls here in 1 AD, but you can still Royce in 1946. Alfonso liked Orange Square see signs of their lost civilisathe area so much he decided tion, whether it’s the 1st century to buy some land and build Roman bridge embedded in the himself a house, before selling gardens of the Hotel Puente Romano or the baths plots to his Rothschild and Thyssen friends. and settlement ruins in Guadalmina. He soon turned his home into the Costa del Even 2,000 years ago, the Romans knew that the Sol’s first luxury hotel in 1954 – The Marbella beach was the place to be, becoming the first civiliClub – which to this day remains a mainstay zation to spark a coastal real estate boom. on the Golden Mile. Before long, Ava Gardner, Fast forward to today and it seems this hasn’t Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Laurence been lost on the ruling elite of Marbella. Millions Olivier were all hanging out there, raising the have been invested to bring the beaches up to Costa del Sol’s international profile and atglobal standards. tracting a wave of jetsetters and investment. Marbella’s 27 kilometres of coastline encapsuFrom a pure accident of fate the resort has lates 24 playas while San Pedro and Puerto Banus gone from strength to strength, despite fly the prestigious blue flag, a quality standard the economic and political woes that have awarded by the Foundation for Environmental Eduplagued Spain since the financial crash of cation. 2008. As for beach clubs, you won’t find anywhere cooler Mayor Jose Bernal, now ousted by the PP’s

Angeles Muñoz, campaigned on ending the institutionalised corruption that plagued the town for decades. He has introduced new transparency and integrity rules for those in office, including himself, having most recently made his spending figures public. With a booming restaurant scene, an international art and film community, world class beaches nightlife and shopping and a corruption-fighting mayor, what more could you ask for? Perhaps an airport with international links, do I hear you cry? No need. Malaga’s just 45 minutes’

drive away, and Gibraltar the same in the other direction. Stunning mountain views? They’re already available from La Concha, Marbella’s own mountain, or on a day trip to the hilltop citadel of Ronda, easily doable by car or bus. Surely not a thrilling treetop adventure park? Err, yes, look no further than Aventura Amazonia, in Las Chapas. Suffice to say, whether you’re a foodie, an urban junkie looking for a city break crammed with culture, a beach addict after a classic family holiday or an 18-30 reveller thirsty for a party break, Marbella delivers it - in style!

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May 23rd - June 5th 2018

Mas to come

One of the coast’s youngest estate agents is on a roll, writes Laurence Dollimore

HE’S taken on communist governments and traded millions of euros worth of art as a dealer for Sotheby’s, so it’s no surprise Margareta Stjernstrom has taken the Costa del Sol property scene by storm. The Polish businesswoman set up MAS Properties four years ago

with her Swedish husband Joakim Stjernstrom, and they’ve been unstoppable ever since. From just the two of them working out of an office in El Rosario, they have opened another base in exclusive Centro Plaza in Puerto Banus, providing a top of the range service offering villas, apart-

INTERNATIONAL TEAM: The agents at Mas speak many languages

ments, plots of land and more. And what a spot, the corner office the true pride and place of Centro Plaza with some of the best views in Marbella.

Their team has grown to 10 while their client list and sales figures have continued to boom. “We have aimed to double in size each year and we have more than

Market Trends - summer 2018

DES RES: Amazing views from MAS office

Estepona has benefited from Marbella’s strict building laws and its mayor’s forward thinking policies meaning investment will continue to pour into the town, believes Margareta. Benalmadena is also popular at the moment, especially the new 800-home Urbana city development, for which MAS Properties is the number one seller. The Polish are buying a lot more thanks to the country’s recovering economy, while Moroccans are buying more in the Marbella area than anyone might think. Interestingly, Brexit has had a stabilising effect on the rate of price increases, which in the end has proved healthy for the market. While the company is selling all the way down the coast, Marbella is still the most wanted location.

done that,” says CEO Margareta, who was once forced out of Poland for protesting the oppressive communist government while studying to become a doctor. And the key to the company’s success? It’s all about the property. “The fact is we only list high quality properties and our mission is to find that one property that is right for the client,” explains Margareta. “We are also extremely transparent and honest with our clients, if we don’t think a property is right for them we won’t waste their time trying to force a sale.” And they’re guaranteed to speak your language, with English, Russian, French, Spanish, German, Arabic and Swedish all spoken by the staff. The company is also clear from the get go that clients will probably have to compromise. “There are three things you are unlikely to always get, and that

Prestige and privilege FROM MADRID TO MARBELLA: The 9 Lions projects are spacious with amazing views

Jon Clarke talks to boss of Marbella’s exciting 9 Lions Residences development

“

IT’S all about locations, prime locations,” explains Fraser Denton, whose company has recently launched its first Andalucia development in the heart of Marbella. Already boasting of two prestige projects in Barcelona and Madrid, 9 Lions Residences in Nueva Andalucia is the logical first dip into the healthy Costa del Sol property market. The stunning collection of apartments, each well-appointed with wonderful views and big terraces, has recently gone on the market, with almost a dozen of the 53 already sold. “It’s all about the finish, the privileged elevated site and all of them have sea views,” continues Fraser, 50, who moved to Barcelona from London two decades ago. With a love of architecture and property, the father-of-four has spent the last few years overseeing two prestige properties in Spain’s two major cities. The first in Barcelona’s trendy 22@ business district was a converted five-storey textile mill that has now been leased out in its entirety to US giant Hewlett Packard. The second in the heart of upmarket Chamberi

district of Madrid comprised 41 apartments, all of them selling out in months at an average price of around €1 million. Designed by architect Sara de la Mata, of Bunch, it has a very contemporary feel with large floor to ceiling windows letting in plenty of natural light. “We are continuing with this concept now in Marbella,” explains Fraser, who studied surveying at Bristol University, before doing an MBA in Manchester. “It is clear there is very limited new product in the area, particularly of the standard we are building. “Marbella is a very international and global market and is recovering very well and seeing the return of its cachet from decades ago,” he continues. “We are also seeing a real drive towards quality, with groups like the Starwood group and the W hotel, plus the return of Club Med. “We continue to look for prime locations along the Costa del Sol, but they have to be the right ones and we are in no rush.” As for the Spanish property market in general, he believes it is in a strong

position. “The residential market in Spain is very buoyant right now after years of little activity due to the recession. “There was a lot of pent up demand that was waiting for the economy to pick up and now it certainly has.” The surveyor had originally moved to Madrid in 1999, working for the Australian Investment giant, Lend Lease, developing shopping centres, including the UK’s Bluewater. After a brief return to the UK in 2002, he returned to set up his own company in Barcelona. “I lasted just six weeks in London before I had to come back. I really love it in Spain and feel I fit in. “I’ve lived all around Europe, but Spain is now very much my home,” adds Fraser 9 Lions Residences is part of UK & European Investments, which is owned by the LTG group, which owns fashion brands, including River Island. The group’s investment commitments in Spain now total €130 million. Visit www.9lionsresidences. com or ukandeuropean. com for more info

BOSS: Margareta

is size, location and price, and we tell that to our clients so they know beforehand that there will be a compromise.” And it works, the company is one of the most time effective on the coast, turning around a sale in an average of two days. But what is really driving the company forward is the team. Listings agent Maria Mayol has 25 years’ experience at Sotheby’s and has been fundamental in bringing in clients. Meanwhile, the new sales executives are bringing a younger and more dynamic energy to the team. Already with a few years’ experience under their belts, all are trained by MAS Properties in customer care, sales, property law and management. The company, which operates between Malaga and Sotogrande, is already looking to expand and has plans to open offices in Malaga and Tarifa next year. www.maspropertymarbella.com

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May 23rd - June 5th 2018

NE of the fastest growing British real estate companies is expanding rapidly along the Costa del Sol. Award-winning Fine & Country has opened in Marbella’s exclusive Centro Plaza after already setting up in Mijas. The pair are the latest addition to a network of already 330 offices around the world. And their secret? Innovative marketing, a high level of service and expert local knowledge. There’s a reason the company has won the Best International Real Estate Agency Marketing award at the International Residential Property Awards for the past FIVE years. “We take the instruction to sell your home as a privilege, an honour and as a very serious commitment,” says Director Karina Karlsen Norris, who first earned her stripes selling property in Mijas 17 years ago. “The market is growing here so it is logical that the company would expand along the coast?” adds the motherof-two. “The weather is beautiful, it’s easily accessible and there are a lot of investment opportunities here,” continues the personable Dane (right). And no matter who handles your sale, you’ll be in good hands. Every Fine & Country agent is a highly trained independent estate agent and follows a strict code of conduct. “We have a great team here and we speak almost any language, including

Award-winning real estate giant couldn’t resist the ‘booming’ Costa del Sol market

Mighty Fine

TEAM: At the Mijas office

TOP FOUR TRENDS THIS SPRING

• • • • EXPERIENCED: Karina has sold in Mijas for 17 years Slovenian and even Indian!” explains Karina, who has lived in Mijas for 31 years. “I have seen the market go up

and down a few times over the years so I have a lot of local knowledge, as do all of our trained agents and staff.”

Scandinavians are the fastest growing client base More British are selling up and moving back home - possibly due to the exchange rate Mijas Costa, Nueva Andalucia and San Pedro are the hot locations Estepona is good value for money and is expanding fast while strict Marbella planning rules are making it difficult for developers in the town.

Their hundreds of offices worldwide, meanwhile, offer widespread exposure to the international market. Pair this with national marketing cam-

paigns and local expertise of carefully selected property professionals, and there’s no reason to go anywhere else. www.fineandcountry.com

C.C Atalayas local No1, Urb. Riviera Del Sol, Mijas Costa 29649, Malaga Tel: +34 952 93 05 32 Tel: +34 670 673 472 Email: karina@fineandcountry.com www.fineandcountry.com

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Amazing, elegant villa situated in Guadalmina Baja, a beachside tranquil residential area west of Marbella. Walking distance to the beach, 5 star hotel, two 18 holes golf courses and several restaurants. The entrance hall accesses the double ceiling living room with fireplace, TV room and library, dining room and fully fitted kitchen all with direct access to the terrace overlooking the beautiful garden and pool.

This is an extraordinary contemporary villa located in the exclusive area of Nueva Andalucía, only a 5-minute drive from Puerto Banus, beautiful beaches and great restaurants. This newly renovated villa is built to the highest standard. You instantly feel at ease while exploring the rest of the beautiful house – divided over three levels, having carefully considered the distribution to maximize the light and magnificent views surrounding the property.

It’s construction is in minimalistic style though the interior decorating skills and creativity of the owners have made this home very inviting. When entering the villa a 400 year old Olive tree is left in peace inside the construction. All 4 bedrooms are positioned well apart for total privacy. One bedroom and en suite bathroom is located directly to the right from the entrance. As you continue through the hallway another bedroom with en suite bathroom is located left of the entrance.

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Where to eat Marbella is the true foodie capital of Andalucia, writes Dining Secrets of Andalucia editor Jon Clarke

STAR: Jon meets Joan Roca OR the last three years I have met more famous Michelinstarred chefs in Marbella than I have in the rest of my life put together. From Joan Roca to Juan Mari Arzak and Joel Robuchon to Ferran Adria, they have all taken trips down to the definitive culinary food capital of Andalucia. All attending the A Cuatro Manos event, which is now a regular fixture organised by the town’s very own two Michelin star wonderkind Dani Garcia, they add a very appropriate sprinkling of foodie glamour each Spring. For Marbella has really come into its own as a global dining magnet over the last decade, counting six of its own Michelin-starred joints. No less than half of the Michelin starred restaurants in Andalucia can be found in the town, including El Lago, Messina and Skina, which all have their own unique style and flavours.

May 23rd -June June8th 5th- June 2018 21st 2016

Dining central

And then you have some excellent beach restaurants, such as Bono Beach, La Sala by the Sea and Casanis Plage.

who make Marbella what it is. An emporium of glass and seductive lighting, its real strength though, lies in its wood-decked terrace, that is serves as the ideal tourist sun-deck. But, let’s not forget the food, which has so far never let me down. Whether you are after meaty fare (ribs, burgers, etc) or fish dishes and seafood, you Another restaurateur who shows no are always well catered for and there signs of slowing down is Ian Radford, is always a contemporary twist. boss of the La Sala group, whose re- But if you are looking for some rocent openings include mance, you need to the Oak restauhead into the heart rant and hip Mahiki of Marbella old town, beach, in the heart of Marbella old town, where you are literally town. spoilt for choice for exwhere you are The original La Sala cellent places to eat. on the way up to the literally spoilt for Take a wonder around Nueva Andalucia and take your pick choice for places from dozens of interbullring is, without a doubt, the most faesting places, with the to eat mous Marbella restaubetter ones including rant abroad. Casanis, Tempora and This is a must-visit for Cafe Flore. any holiday to Marbs and a huge hit Another continually improving resfor 'ladies who lunch', not to mention taurant is Cibo, on the Golden Mile, movers and shakers, celebrities, foot- which is beautifully decorated and ballers and the wealthy empresarios has

Super Sala

CONSISTENTLY GOOD: La Sala flagship restaurant “We keep getting better and better here and pushing the boundaries,” Garcia told me. “And I expect it to continue.” And that is very much the story, as the town has one of the largest variety of

top eateries in Spain. There are over 100 different nationalities cooking in Marbella, from leading Japanese places like Takumi to hidden gems like Cascada and to exciting new Italian A Casa Mia.

Come and discover the new dining secret in the hills above Marbella

Just 10 mins up the A-397 Ronda road

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May 23rd - June 5th 2018

May 23rd - June 5th 2018 From Page 15

NEW ADDITION: Funky Tapas a great menu. Owned by the capable Metro Group (Jacks, Mumtaz, Metro, etc), it is excellent value and a romantic spot for dining out. In the heart of Marbella, take a visit to the superb Harbour (see review on page 38), which has recently been taken over by the team from Becketts and the Playwright, both with highly rated kitchens. It’s a fabulous spot to watch the world go by from your bird’s nest position high above the boats, and with an excellent kitchen to boot.

A Casa Mia In contrast, high in the hills above the town (it’s technically in Benahavis) make sure to visit A Casa Mia, which has just opened in the exclusive address of La Heredia on the road to Ronda. The creation of talented Italian couple Beppe and Roberta, its wisteria-clad terraza is one of the most charmed dining terraces on the coast. And when it comes to the food, you will be blown away, unsurprisingly with the pair having cut the mustard for decades in central London, with no less than SIX cafe/delis under the La Bottega brand. This is Italian food of the highest quality, pulled together by chef Emiliana, from Bergamo, under the watchful eye of Beppe. I was particularly impressed with the haddock and vegetable tempura with mayonnaise and slices of ginger, which was original as it was tasty. I also loved the handmade tagliolini of porcini mushrooms with shavings of black truffle. What joy. Another exciting new place is Funky Tapas Gastro Bar, which sits just behind the H10

HERE is almost no better view on the entire Costa del Sol. The stunning vistas from the Benabola Hotel Sky Bar stretch as far as the eye can see… and then some. Lording it over the famous Puerto Banus marina, this beautiful new addition to the celebrated hotel is the dream spot for an early evening tapa and cocktail, or a nightcap following supper. Even better, come for the evening and relax at easily one of the coast’s genuine secret spots. For those having two cocktails or more there is free underground parking. And, if you want to really experience the high life then book a room at the hotel and if you are lucky you’ll have a suite with a corner living room with views to match the Sky Bar above. Visit www.benabola.com

Sky’s the limit

JOYOUS: Owner Roberta at A Casa Mia

JAPANESE WINNER: Dishes at Takumi hotel in Nueva Andalucia. Set up by capable Mancunian restaurateur Debbie it has got better and better not just with its food but with its entertainment offering. Promising ‘mouth-watering flavours from around the world’, its dishes don’t just look delicious, but they are. Come and find out

for yourself. You sit on a fantastic terrace and service is second to none, while the cocktails are also superb. Up in San Pedro you will be spoilt for choice, but really look out for Macaao, which really stands out as a special place to visit. Set up by Belgian Michel Dhondt, who heralds from a long

line of restaurant owners and trained with Alain Ducasse on the Cote d’Azur. Open all year, it concentrates on fresh, seasonal ingredients and there are always loads of specials, including, no surprises, mussels, as well as oysters, shrimp croquettes and ceviche. Also in San Pedro is the very elegant L’Impronta, an upmarket Italian joint, run by capable Francisco Vacas, who actually heralds from Cordoba. Finally another man helping to change the face of San Pedro is Malcolm Spendlove, who has been at the helm of the ever popular Passion Cafe (www.passioncafe. eu) for the last 18 years and now heads up one of the coast’s best hamburger joints, Mr Gourmet Burger (www.mrgourmetburger. com) on the boulevard. Finally, up the coast in the charming little known port of Cabopino, you have to make a beeline for Alberts, an absolute institution. Sitting right by the water, you can’t get a better setting and the food is always amazing.

FRONTLINE: Bono Beach and Alberts are two excellent spots to eat

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Madrid joins fight against Airbnb as Malaga weighs up restrictions

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Sister act

A HOME in southern Spain has featured on BBC’s The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes. Viewers saw ‘A House for three Sisters’, a sweeping property that doubles as a miniature village, the brainchild of three sisters who all wanted to live on the same plot of their father’s land. The home, in Murcia,The was built by Blancafort-Reus Olive Press Architecture. Maria, Rene and Manuka inherited their father’s land in Bullas and they wanted a design that would allow them all to live on the land TOPtofor news in‘village’, Spain! together. They decided create a mini consisting of three separate homes linked together by a shared courtyard at the centre.

Retreat

The houses are all identical - although one is ‘flipped’ according to architect Piers - but each has a private outside space, a roof terrace off the master bedroom and a downstairs living area with a further two bedrooms. All three siblings work together to run a fashion business in the city centre, making their village home a welcome retreat from the hustle and bustle, with the design allowing them to all have their own private space. “Five years ago we decided to build the dream,” the trio said on the show. Presenters Caroline Quentin and Piers Taylor explored three other extraordinary Spanish homes in the episode, revealing how the architects behind them have pushed the boundaries and rewritten the rule book.

SOME 95% of private holiday rentals may soon be declared illegal in Madrid. It comes after a new raft of measures were announced by the left-wing coalition council of Manuela Carmena. Locals have been demanding action to control mass tourism after struggling to keep up with soaring rent prices. The proposed regulations want ‘to preserve residential use of buildings, putting a stop to permanent use (by tourists) and replace it with temporary

Airbnbust use, thus preventing housing from becoming accommodation exclusively for tourists’. The new laws will take effect in four different zones of the city, with the most restrictive affecting Centro district that includes the areas of Malasaña, Chueca, Sol, La Latina and Lavapiés. Tourist flats will not be able to be rented for more than 90 days a year while flats in the central zone will require an independent and separate entrance to the street to the other apartments in the building.

RENTAL REGULATIONS: Mass tourism

Room for growth A BRAND new hotel is to be the start of a deluge of new rooms on the Rock. The opening of the Holiday Inn Express on Devils Tower Road will add hundreds of new rooms for visitors to Gibraltar. In addition to the hotel, the new 120-room Indigo Hotel is soon to open on Corral Road, while new aparthotels will open on Engineer Lane and on the site of the vacant Continental Hotel. The Engineer Lane project will see 50 tourist apartments in a development called ‘The Suites’, while planning permission has just been approved for City Homes’s 184-bed Apartment Hotel, which will come with a gym, meeting room and rooftop restaurant.

Restrictions

DEVELOPMENT: New

Entire apartment buildings will be prevented from being turned into tourist accommodation unless they get the same licences as hotels - although the handing out of these will be frozen for a year. It comes after Valencia introduced new rules and while Palma de Mallorca has banned all unlicensed tourist flats in the city. Malaga too is considering introducing rental restrictions to stave off mass tourism following a boom in visitor numbers.

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By Christopher Cousins of Igniteratings.com

Keep calm The Crypto correction and what it means for you

VER the past few months we have seen a boom and what seemed like a bust in the crypto markets. In a matter of less then 90 days we saw Bitcoin go from $20,000 to a recent low of $6,200 a coin in March. Rather then being asked what’s a good coin to buy, I am often asked if the market is dead or finished? The truth is, the market did have a correction.... a very big one, but keep in mind this time last year bitcoin was trading at $1,520 a coin. So while new entrants to the market might be in the red, longer term participants have still made a phenomenal profit. So what can you expect from crypto over the next few months? In short it seems the market will for the most part become more regulated, professional and less volatile for the following reasons. New Investors - There was a point I could not walk down the street without someone asking me about crypto investments. Stories of riches to be had turned this industry into a virtual gold rush. So much new money was entering crypto it drove up prices to unprecedented levels. When the market corrected it triggered an emotional response which re-

sulted in many investors to selling at a loss. These investors have now lost faith in the market and it will take time for them to reenter it. In one way it stifles growth but it also makes it less volatile. Institutional investors - The so-called smart money is entering the crypto industry this year at a rapid pace. Many large investors are still looking for more regulation clarity but a number of high profile banks and hedge funds are entering the industry with deep pockets. I believe this should fuel growth for crypto currencies and revitalise the retail investors’ interest in the industry resulting in exponential growth overtime. Regulation - This world puts fear into the hearts of many in the crypto industry due to beliefs in decentralisation, tax implications and privacy. But the fact is it’s necessary for certain elements of the industry to be regulated to encourage growth. Regulation adds to investor confidence and results in more growth over time. In short I am a fan of it as it stabilizes and improves the markets for the benefit of all. I do believe regulators need to work with industry participants to develop practices that work long term.

MATHSTONE

FINTECH

May 23rd - June 5th 2018 May 23rd - June 5th 2018

Global appeal

International fintech companies are looking to the Rock thanks to ‘conducive’ regulations

A GLOBAL Fintech leader is looking to set up in Gibraltar thanks to the new regulatory framework for distributed ledger technology. eToro, the world’s largest social trading platform with over 10 million registered users and 500 employees worldwide, has met with Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and commerce minister Albert Isola over the possible move. “eToro shared their exciting plans, which are at an advanced stage, to expand their business into Gibraltar, a decision taken as a result of the DLT Regulatory Framework that came into force in Janu-

SET FOR CHANGE: Social trade firm eToro ary 2018,” a spokesman for the government confirmed. The company is just one of the many companies looking to choose Gibraltar as a base. ProximaX has also just announced it will set up an office on the Rock thanks to the new ledger technology regulatory framework which launched in January this year. “The ProximaX solution allows businesses and inno-

vators to avoid costly and failure-prone centralized architecture by utilising an all-in-one decentralized sustainable platform to manage immutable and irreversible, timestamped content delivery, data storage, and media streaming solutions,” the spokesman added. ProximaX are advised by leading local law firm Ellul & Co.

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An Irish fintech firm is helping customers of Spain's postal service get access to Google Pay with their prepaid credit cards. The relationship between Prepaid Financial Services Limited (PFS) and Correos Download ourbegan app now and SPAIN sold €4.3 billion tional Peace Research three years ago when the the post begin enjoying best Spanish office launched its prepaid of- worth of military equip- Institute, Spain was the news on the go. ment last year, new figures seventh-largest exporter fering. of weapons last year.The Hundreds of thousands of have revealed. holders of the prepaid Mas- It is a 7.3% increase on bulk of all sales were airtercard, available across 2,400 2016 and the second year craft assembled at a plant post offices in Spain, can now in a row the country has in Sevilla. purchase using Google Pay broken its own record. The EU accounted for functionality. According to a report by 72.6% of Spain’s weapons Deputy Head of Corporate De- the Stockholm Interna- exports. velopment at Correos, Martin Gonzalez de Haro, that Press The said Olive PFS technology and the collaboration with Correos allows TOPmobile for news citizens to make trans- in Spain! actions without a traditional THE economic crisis is continuing to pinch the bank account. jobs market in Malaga province where 53,500 fewer men are in work compared to a decade Innovative ago. And despite a 2.2% rise in employment rates "Correos, as a company, is foduring 2017, this figure is not positive enough cused on providing cardholdsays a report presented by CCOO Málaga. ers with the most innovative The trades union says 45,700 more jobs are payment services and this inteneeded to bring employment back to 2007’s pregration with Google Pay certicrisis level. fies Correos as the first prepaid The Service Sector is proving the most resilient, programme to be enrolled on providing 87.2% of jobs in 2017 compared to mobile payments, making ac75.5% before the crisis. The remaining sectors cess to this new technology suffered a downfall due to government politics, easy," he said. said the CCOO report, noting that wages were PFS CEO Noel Moran said the also lower in spite of the employment rates. launch places financial tech at Most of the new jobs created during the 2014 the heart of Spain's ecosystem. to 2017 period benefited male employees with "Correos is the country's 5th 22.7% going to men and 12.8% to women. But largest employer with 53,000 while 7.800 more women are in work since the employees and we are honcrisis, 53,500 fewer men have a job compared oured to continue our partnerto 2007. ship with the post office network,” he added.

Spain’s weapons exports explode its own record

Jobs crisis

NEWS IN BRIEF

Under fire YAHOO! has had to pay a €2.7 million fine to the Spanish Tax Agency sanction following an audit for tax and VAT payments in 2010 and 2011.

Rejection UP IN ARMS: Weapon sales soar

Outside the bloc, the country’s biggest client was Saudi Arabia with €270.2 million in sales, a 133% rise from 2016. The Spanish government blocked four sales last year, including two worth €1.9 million meant for Israel. Sales to China and another to Myanmar were also blocked. Germany was Spain’s top client, purchasing €1.2 billion worth of weapons. Other major clients were Britain, France and Turkey. Aircraft assembled in Sevilla accounted for 79% of Spain’s military exports. Saudi Arabia topped Egypt as Spain’s number one non-EU client last year,

spending €270.2 million on a carrier aircraft, unmanned aircraft, replacement parts, mortar shells and more. The weapons will likely be used for Saudi Arabia's assault on Yemen. Since its operation began there in 2015, orders of Spanish weapons have almost tripled from €34.7 million in 2016 to €90.1 million in 2017. The Middle-Eastern power has been accused of crimes against humanity in the war. Amnesty International, Oxfam Intermon and Greenpeace say that there is not enough monitoring of how the weapons sold are used.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has urged Catalunya to form a ‘viable’ government, after rejecting the region’s new advisors.

United front SPAIN will stand with China in demanding free trade amid disputes with the U.S. over potential new tariffs.

Postal tech AN Irish fintech company has introduced Google Pay to Spain’s Correos postal service, allowing customers to use prepaid debit cards.

AGONY Property ANT YOUR LEGAL PROBLEMS ADDRESSED BY ANTONIO FLORES

Under fire T

19 19

May 23rd - June 5th 2018

Spanish tax office is described as ‘Inquisitor’ by 35 professors

HE Spanish Tax Office has come under heavy fire from a select group of 35 tax and law professors for what they consider an ‘inquisitorial’ approach to tax-collection. The experts, who met in Granada a few days ago, showed no sympathy for a state organisation that ‘bullies’ taxpayers into submission by flouting principles like presumption of innocence, juridical and legal security and equality.

The declaration signed by the legal experts touches on various aspects: • Gradual conversion of the role of a taxpayer into a ‘tax servant’. • Excessive zeal for aggressive tax collection campaigns -perceived as unfair and unjust- that are producing a deterioration of legal security. • ‘Cantonization’ of the Spanish tax system by reference to the notable differences, or discriminations, between different Spanish territories. • Higher tax tolerance for multinational companies who, due to their unlimited resources, can dramatically reduce

•

their tax exposure in Spain. The document refers to online giant retailers that avoid taxes by distorting the interpretation of ‘geographical’ location in revenue legislation (and get away with it). Usurpation by the Government of tax legislative functions, in detriment of the Parliament’s functions.

Far from easing their grip on taxpayers the Spanish Revenue System, commonly known as ‘Hacienda’, has upped the ante by finalising the drafting of a Code of Good Conduct where tax advisors and lawyers handling tax affairs will be held jointly liable with their clients, in cases of fraud and evasion. Whilst many see in the Spanish Tax Office a tyrannical entity intent on extorting wealth from law-abiding citizens, others see this as the price to pay to become a full ‘Western’ nation in control of its people. As George Washington states more than two centuries ago: “Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”

Email Antonio at aflores@lawbird.com

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HEALTH

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May 23rd - June 5th 2018

Kill the ban UP until now, Euthanasia was a felony which could be charged from four to eight years imprisonment, according to spanish laws. A moral debate which has been around for several years, since the Congreso de los Diputados had rejected up to 16 times any option to decriminalize and regulate Euthanasia. But this might change in a near future, thanks to a bill conducted by the Parlamento de Catalunya, which has been approved by the Congreso, and implies a reform on the Penal Code.

Liability

Although its approval, the Partido Popular and UPN (Unión del Pueblo Navarro) voted against it, while Ciudadanos stayed neutral. The proposal is just the first step of the process: After this, the reform has to be discussed again, but at the Comisión, where the parties can submit amendments, in order to introduce modifications on this law proposal. The goal of this lew law is to give the dying patients control over their own death and exempt from liability to those who help them to achieve this.

A new study reveals breastfeeding reduces risks BREAST cancer is one of the main causes of female mortality in the developed world but children’s charity Unicef claims breastfeeding can reduce the risk. In its new study, Breastfeeding: A Mother’s gift: for every child, the NGO also recommends it as a way to ‘build healthy, smart and productive societies’.

Bonding

Breast milk promotes healthy growth, can guard against lifethreatening and chronic illness and even improves brain development. Students who have been breastfed show a better performance in intelligence tests. Mother’s milk could also save the lives of more than 820,000 children under age 5 every year. For mothers themselves,

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breastfeeding not only aids with bonding but could help to avoid more than 20,000 deaths from breast and ovarian cancer, as THE Junta de Andalucía well as protecting against post- will give Malaga a new hospartum haemorrhage and post- pital. The town hall has made it clear that it won’t natal depression. be a substitute for Carlos The report also analyses the difThe Olive Press ferences between breastfeeding Haya. On the contrary, this brand in 123 countries. It concludes for news Spain! newincentre will try to exthat in high-incomeTOP countries like the US and Spain more pand it. than one in five babies are never breastfed, while in lowerTechnology income countries almost all baIt will count more than 800 bies are breastfed. PROTECTION: Breastfeeding aids health beds and be equipped with the latest technology. It is planned that its location will be behind the natal wing, where currently there is an empty plot. THE death rate among undocumented mi- Barcelona's Economics Institute and the It is expected that the cengrants in Spain has risen 15% since reforms University Pompeu Fabra's Center for Retre will be finished in 2024. denied them access to free public healthcare. search in Health and Economics (CRES), it Although Carlos Haya will Migrants were excluded from access to pub- has had a direct impact on mortality rates keep its functions, it will lic healthcare following a reform introduced in the population residing in Spain between perform a hospital for meby the Spanish government in 2012. 2009 and 2015 compared to the previous pedium and long term paAccording to research by the University of riod from 2009 to 2012. tients.

Migrant mortality up

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Can it take off? TWO British friends have launched the first wine in a can with the help of a Spanish illustrator. The Uncommon, the brainchild of Alex Thraves and Henry Connell, has been designed by artist Yido, who comes from Madrid. “We add CO2, which is a common method in lightly sparkling wines such as a Vinho Verde in

Portugal,” said a spokesman. “This way we can freshen up the wine without making it overly fizzy or sweet which is often the case with traditional or charmat method wines such as Champagne and Prosecco.” The wine is already for sale at Selfridges where the 11.5% ABV sparkler retails for £4.99 a can.

A night with the stars

Expat recalls meals he cooked for celebs including Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra and the Queen EVER wondered what it would be like to share an evening with a global superstar? A Costa del Sol chef has cooked for many of them, including Rod Stewart, Michael Jackson and Shirley Bassey, to name just a few. British chef, Steve Hyatt, has also served up dishes for the Queen and Frank Sinatra too. “I spent three nights drinking until the early hours with Frank, he was such a nice guy,” added the 66-year-old expat, who upped sticks to open his restaurant the Blue Marlin in Mijas three years ago with his wife Alison. The expat, who has worked at a string of five-star hotels from South Africa to Australia, re-

EXCLUSIVE By

Elisa Menendez

called how the Rat Pack crooner called him to come out of the kitchen to congratulate him on a great meal. A night of drinking ensued in the city of Durban, in which they shared ‘numerous’ travellers tales. “The next evening I cooked him oysters but he wasn’t keen,” laughed Steve, who later jazzed up the dish and prepared ‘Rockefeller-style’ oysters which were more to Sinatra’s taste. On the third night, the superstar burst through the doors and shouted: ‘Stevie, it’s post time!’ and poured a strong glass of liquor before a small, private

My dish n for QueSce rambled Egg with Black Truffle and Smoked Salmon a favourite of Queen Elizabeth

Ingredients persons • This creates a breakfast for 4cut into slivers • 100 grams Smoked Salmon, grated, a small quantity • 25 grams Black Truffles (finely finished dish) reserved for shaving on top of the fresh truffles) • 6 Eggs (stored overnight with • 60 ml Cream • 4 slices of bread • Butter • Salt and Pepper to taste Instructions pepper and the finely 1. Beat the eggs, cream, salt, l. bow ll grated Truffle in a sma on each side, and butter. 2. Lightly toast the bread slices in a non stick pan and r butte of n spoo table a Melt 3. lightly cook the egg mixture. the toasted bread, layer 4. Spoon the egg mixture over on top, and finish with rs slive on salm ked the smo truffle shavings.

EXPATS: Alison, Steve performance. Another major icon to walk through the Southern Sun Hotel doors was the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. “He was quiet and polite and really quite childlike,” recalled Steve, who cooked a traditional South African dish for the superstar. But not all of the expat’s celeb encounters were plain sailing, as he recalls how Dame Shirley Bassey was ‘horrible’. “She was stoned out of her brains and hacked off after she performed a concert where a lot of people walked out,” he added. After the singer ordered room service at 1am and requested lobsters, she claimed she had not ordered them and an aggressive outburst followed. “She got abusive towards the staff and even a bit racist,” added Steve, who said the diva had no recollection of her actions the next morning at breakfast. The fine-dining chef got his first taste of the high life when he became an apprentice at the age of 16, on the prestigious Queen Elizabeth 2 ship. It was there that he met his first global figure, the Queen of England. “It was quite intimidating,” he admitted. He cooked a dish of smoked salmon and truffles (recipe below), as the Queen apparently doesn’t eat starch. Now, the expat is enjoying his own new-found celebrity status as he is recognised as ‘the man off the telly’, following his appearance on the TV show, A New Life in the Sun. Here’s his recipe for the Queen.

May 23rd - June 5th 2018

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May 23rd - June 5th 2018

Glorious May! May is truly the best month of the year in Andalucia, writes Natalie Rose Kern

HE month of May signals its arrival in Marbella each year with the blossoming of Jacaranda trees all over town and, as the pretty, purple petals bloom, scatter and dance in the wind, I wish it could stay like this forever. It’s the loveliest month here by far and whether meandering about the old town, cruising along by the sea or rambling further inland, Andalucía in May is picture postcard perfect. When visitors ask me what activities I recommend doing in Marbella, climbing La Concha, the town’s most famous landmark and the statuesque backdrop of the town usually tops the list. It’s a delightfully scenic hike (not to mention a fantastic workout!) and the views from the summit are truly mesmerising.

Beauty

I’ve climbed La Concha many times over the years in varying weather conditions, and every single time I am blown away by the magnificence of the natural beauty of this corner of the earth. The charismatic DJ and Marbella personality, Russel Sodden, or-

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Marbella diaries

By Natalie Rose Kern

ganised a climb to raise funds for local photographer, David Toms, who was left paralyzed following a motorcycle accident in 2016, so The Monkey and I raised sponsorship and joined the climbing party. With its stunning wildlife, daring AWARD WINNERS: OP team with Ambassador Simon Manley drops, ragged edges, and a distylish occasion, we were invited verse landscape that is forever ed ahead with the boundless to the British Ambassador’s Resichanging, this is a day out for na- energy of a ten-year-old, shouting dence in Madrid to celebrate the ture lovers, sporty types, adrena- back to us with thoughtful warnRoyal Wedding. I traded trainers line junkies and Sunday ramblers ings and helpful suggestions for for a tea dress for a delightful alike. Pass through a dry terrain the less confident climbers. afternoon of quintessential Britof pretty olive groves, before en- Until finally came that glorious ishness! tering a dark and dense pine for- moment when we hit the summit The ambassador, Simon Manest and, as you climb higher, ven- and exhaustion and exhilaration ley, was a formidable host, invitture over uneven ground, rocky collided. ing expats from all over Spain to paths and a couple of challenging The Monkey and I stood together thank them for their contributaking in the splendour of the precipices. tions to the local communities. It took us about three hours to view: The Istan Lake sprawled out The Olive Press was honored reach the summit, (two and a below us, shimmering in the sunwith an award for its ‘Outstandhalf to descend) but there was shine, to the east: Marbella, San ing Contribution’ and we spent a no chance of getting bored as Pedro, Estepona, Sotogrande, Gimarvelous afternoon munching braltar and the landon cucumber sandwiches, tarts Morocco on scape is so and quiches and meeting other the horizon, varied and expats who have traded Blighty’s and to the the higher grey skies for a laidback life in west: Elwe climbed, Spain. viria, Benathe more And I did chuckle as I overheard a lmadena, spectacular group in passionate debate over Mijas and the views. the most British argument I’ve Cabopino. The Monheard in years. Is it pronounced Finally we key kept us scooooones or scones? slumped entertained A perfectly British afternoon was to the floor with misthe cherry on the cake or jam on exhilarated. chief and the scone (skon?) of a glorious On a someanecdotes month of May. what more and sprint- THE MONKEY: With Natalie

Costa del Crime capering

FTER the shocking San Pedro slaying of a suspected drug lord earlier this month, it seems Marbella could be heading back to the dark and dodgy days of what the British tabloids loved to call the ‘Costa del Crime’. I moved to Marbella in the 80s, in the days before Britain and Spain had an extradition treaty. Old style London gangsters such as Kray Twins associate Freddie Foreman, Great Train Robber Charlie Wilson and Brinks Matt Job suspect and ex husband of Barbara Windsor Ronnie Knight were all living on the coast, although the papers were perhaps playing fast and loose with the truth when they described Ronnie as having a villa ‘in the hills overlooking Marbella’. He lived in Benalmadena. You would have to build a pretty impressive roof terrace to see Puerto Banus from there… Some of them had legitimate businesses, so you would bump into them from time to time – my mother famously met Foreman who commented “Sally Brown? I’ve heard so much about you…” - and I unwittingly once attended a restaurant opening owned by one of Glasgow’s biggest drug barons. My best mate Brenty and I had been doing our Marbella teenage beach bum

thing and got chatting to a pretty young Scottish girl, who we’ll call Heather. She invited us to her Dad’s new business opening that night, so all suited and booted, shoulder pads and hairsprayed up – it was the mid 80s – Brenty and I rocked up to the restaurant. It was a lavish affair, and we both got stuck into the champagne and canapés with gusto. About an hour into the proceedings, I looked over from my nibbles, spotted a large figure in the middle of the room, and froze. This was none other than the man who the previous week had been splashed across the ‘Daily Record’ as a major drug importer who was currently on Glasgow’s ‘Most Wanted’ list. “Brent!” I hissed, “Do you know who that guy is?” “Him?” said my mate, nonchalantly downing yet another glass of cava. “Oh, that’s Heather’s Dad”. Brenty was most upset with me as I hustled him out of the door seconds later. The ‘Costa del Crime’ days came to an end soon afterwards, with Foreman arrested and deported one morning from his Banus apartment and Wilson slain in the garden of his Marbella villa. And after our experience, Brenty and I decided not to go to any restaurant openings for a long time…

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BE ‘APPY! WORLD CUP: England

Sickening

ENGLAND’S ISIS fanatics have threatsquad for this ened to behead Spain footsummer’s ballers Lionel Messi and World Cup is Cristiano Ronaldo at the ‘not a gamble’ World Cup in Russia, in a The Olive Press according to series of distressing postmanager Gareth ers. Southgate.TOP for news in Spain! One of the photoshopped Southgate’s team selection images shows the Barhas come in for some criti- celona and Real Madrid cism after he decided to omit stars being pinned down several more experienced by jihadists while they slit players for the likes of un- their throats on a pitch in a capped Trent Alexander-Ar- packed stadium. nold and Nick Pope. The caption, ‘Your blood It is England’s third young- will fill the ground’, feaest World Cup squad in the tured below the shocking entire history of the competi- poster which shows the two tion. best football players in the “We think this is the best world in agony. group of players available, we A second mocked-up image think they can very exciting shows an extremist walknow and even more exciting into a football stadium ing in the future,” Southgate filled with thousands carrysaid.

THREATS: Shocking mocked up images of stars

ing what looks like a small bomb in his hand. Above the scene a chilling message reads: ‘Islamic State - Fifa World Cup Russia 2018 - Victory will be ours’. Both of the sickening posters, released by a pro-ISIS group, brandish the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia logo. It comes as Islamic extremists made similar threats earlier this year about the tournament, which kicks off in June.

Hungry

“I don’t want to limit what they think is possible because they’re young and hungry and they want to have a go at things.” Southgate will be hoping star names such as Raheem Sterling, Dele Alli and Harry Kane can inspire England to a better finish than in 2014 when the Three Lions crashed out in the group stage for the first time since 1958. Controversial omissions from this squad include 75cap goalkeeper Joe Hart, injury prone Jack Wilshere and defender Chris Smalling who has been a first team regular at centre-back for Manchester United this season. The Three Lions begin their Group G campaign against Tunisia on June 18, before fixtures against Panama and Belgium.

LEFT OUT: Players