Olive Press Gibraltar Issue 223

Orchestrated action

THE orca pod known as ‘Gladys’ (named after its leader) struck again on the weekend, sinking another yacht in the Strait of Gibraltar.

It marks the first shipwreck of the year at the fins of the whales after an apparent lull in their destructive behaviour which began in May 2020.

The Spanish Coast Guard reported that two crew members of the sailboat Alboran Cognac sent out an SOS distress call on Sunday.

The sailors reported the killer whales ramming the hull of their vessel in Moroccan waters near Tangier.

The pod of orcas targeted the boat’s rudder, leaving the crew increasingly stranded.

But it was not until one blow ruptured the hull of the 15-metre vessel that the situation grew more serious.

A coast guard helicopter was scrambled and a nearby tanker, MT Lascaux, was requested to divert to aid the stricken sailboat.

The Strait is one of the busiest maritime seaways in the world and although seven vessels have been sunk by the orca pod that transits the region, crews have always been rescued before finding themselves in the open water with the apex predators.

P LIVE RESS O GIBRALTAR

Traditional Spain lies just minutes from the busy costa

HOPES AND HURDLES

Many complex hurdles still to overcome in post-Brexit deal as UK fears losing sovereignty and Spain worries ‘tax haven’ Gibraltar will ‘colonise’ el Campo

AS a post-Brexit treaty on Gibraltar’s border with Spain looms into view, both sides’ fears of coming off worse illustrates the challenges that still lie ahead.

Details remain scant on the outlines of what’s been described as the ‘general political lines’ of an agreement.

But amid an information blackout, Brits fret they may effectively surrender control of Gibraltar’s border, while Spaniards fear a deal that locks in the Rock’s tax haven status, claiming it would effectively see it ‘colonise’ the Campo.

Chief Minister Fabian Picardo has been adamant that nothing within the deal will impinge upon Gibraltar’s sovereignty.

Yet the Spanish Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albares, has let slip that the negotiators have agreed ‘joint use’ of Gibraltar’s airport - something that was a red line for previous governments.

It’s thought that such a compromise will eliminate the hard border between Spain and Gibraltar in exchange for relocating Spanish border checks to the airport.

A parliamentary select committee has already warned that such a move could render British sovereignty over Gibraltar ‘in name only’.

Picardo clarified that ‘joint use’ meant different things for English and Spanish speakers, and Albares has already walked the phrase back.

“What we’re talking about is creating an area of fluid movement for people with Schengen between Gibraltar and Schengen as a common immigration space, a com-

By Walter Finch

mon travel area,” the Chief Minister clarified.

However the biggest concerns for the Spanish side extend far beyond the use of the airport.

The Campo de Gibraltar is increasin gly dependent on its neighbour for its economic livelihood, with around 15,000 people crossing into Gibraltar from Spain each day.

The Popular Party (PP) has been sceptical about the likelihood of reaching a deal palatable for Spain, adding: “An agreement, yes; any agreement, no.”

The right-wing party likened talk of a ‘shared zone of prosperity’ between Gibraltar and the Campo de Gibraltar to a Miss World contestant wishing for ‘world peace’.

The key issues, which Spanish observers argue have not been addressed include tobacco smuggling, pensions, and denting Gibraltar’s status as a tax haven.

Junta minister Antonio Sanz called the income inequality between the two jurisdictions ‘scandalous’ and demanded a special tax status for the Campo to allow it to compete.

“The deal has to economically and socially boost the Campo de Gibraltar and reduce the social, economic and fiscal gap with Gibraltar,” he said after a meeting with Albares and Campo mayors.

Underlining the challenges that still remain for negotiators, Sanz warned it is ‘impossible’ to open the border to the free movement of goods and people as planned while Gibraltar ‘has a corporate tax rate of

10% and Spain has 25%’. Furthermore, removing the routine checks on vehicles crossing the border will ‘effectively legalise’ the large-scale smuggling that preys on the different VAT regimes, according to the PP.

Picardo clarified that while VAT would still not be charged, Gibraltar might introduce a ‘homegrown transaction tax’ to align it European practices.

Duty

“It does mean that we will handle duties in a different way which would be closer to European rates in order that you have that fluidity,” he said in an interview with GBC News

Meanwhile, British MPs heard from a Westminster select committee that UK Foreign Minister David Cameron and Picardo are preparing to cave in to a deal that threatens a ‘serious diminution of UK sovereignty’.

Visitors arriving by plane currently land on British soil, and only encounter EU border officials at the border with Spain.

But proposals to move Schengen controls into the airport itself have raised concerns that arriving Brits and Gibraltarians may be forced to undergo EU biometric registration without setting foot on Spanish soil.

This could hand over ‘control’ of the Rock to the EU and render British sovereignty ‘in name only’ say critics. The European Scrutiny Committee cited these concerns as it called for a pause in negotiations with Spain and the EU.

The House of Commons select committee added it remains ‘unclear whether any time spent in Gibraltar by UK nationals would count towards the 90 days in 180 days permitted for non-EU nationals in the Schengen Area’ in a letter to the Overseas Territories Minister David Rutley. Both sides continue to insist that ‘nothing is agreed until everything is agreed’ in the ‘very complex’ talks. But Albares assured Spanish media there is ‘will on the part of all those involved to reach this agreement as soon as possible.’

As missing Madeleine McCann would have reached 21 this week - and it’s 17 years since she was abducted in Portugal - the Olive Press painstakingly traces the movements of her likely German expat abductor around southern Spain and the Algarve in May 2007

OPTIONS: Albares and Picardo fighting for their sides

RUDDER: was attacked by Orca

Rainbow nation

THE latest international narco empire to be busted in Marbella employed Colombian hitmen, worked with German Hell’s Angels, and operated out of a restaurant in Puerto Banus.

Small relief

A BRITISH man has been awarded €55,000 in compensation after he was wrongfully jailed for two years in Tenerife on attempted murder charges.

Body found

A DEAD body was discovered in a ditch near the five-star Kempinski hotel resort in Estepona. Police have so far been unable to identify the man nor the cause of death.

Drug heists

POLICE claim to have solved two of the recent drug-related shootings in Marbella, one on April 2 and another April 18, with six arrests in total.

CLEAN GETAWAY

Shocking delay sees arrest warrant for Dutch mafia boss 'Taxi' issued THREE WEEKS after he escaped authorities in Marbella

THE Marbella courts which allowed one of Europe’s most wanted mafia leaders to skip bail did not issue an arrest warrant for him till three weeks later.

The arrest of Karim Bouyakhrichan, the leader of Holland’s feared ‘Mocro mafia’, in January was seen as a major coup for Spanish law enforcement.

But a sequence of blunders has seen him not only escape, but given a three week head start on cops trying to bring him back in.

The Dutch-Moroccan was

By Walter Finch

released on provisional bail on March 19, eight weeks after his arrest on January 25, with orders to regularly sign on at a Marbella court.

He initially signed in at Fuengirola and

then made just one trip to the court in Rincon de la Victoria on April 1. On his next ex-

Passport blunder

A PAIR of expats who reportedly skipped bail after shooting up a popular Marbella restaurant have handed themselves in.

Identified only as Darren and Gerrard, the duo failed to show up at a police station to surrender their passports the day after their dramatic arrest in late April. Warrants were issued for the Brit and Irishman, who showed up voluntarily the next day. They claimed that they hadn’t

GONE: Judicial errors let Bouyakhrichan escape, despites threats to Amalia of Orange

pected appearance on April 15 he failed to show.

Yet the shockingly inert Mar-

appeared at the police station to hand over their passports because the police already held them - an assertion that was later proved to be true.

Despite the confusion, they were permitted to keep their liberty on the proviso that they show up in court twice a week.

The pair are accused of driving up to the restaurant on a motorbike and firing at least 15 shots into the establishment in broad daylight.

bella court only issued arrest warrants for him on May 7, over three weeks after his escape was known to them. They issued a European Arrest Warrant, and also put out an International Arrest Warrant in case he has fled to Morocco.

Dutch authorities had put in an extradition request for their public enemy number one at the time of his arrest, urging the Spanish courts to remand him in custody in the meantime.

As well as being an alleged cocaine kingpin, Bouyakhrichan made death threats towards the Netherlands’ Crown Princess, Amalia of Orange, when she was just 18.

Ironically, Amalia was taking refuge from the threats in Madrid until just a few months ago. She has since returned to Amsterdam.

Opinion Page 6

A BRITISH man has been arrested for an alleged sexual assault against a woman, also British, in Marbella.

The 27-year-old is accused of attacking the alleged victim, 26, in a luxury hotel in Puerto Banus.

Sources said the pair met at a beach club in Marbella before moving the party to a hotel. The investigation continues.

Brit sex attack QUICK ESCAPE

attacker jumped in a taxi to flee the scene.

The 38-year-old victim is in hospital with very serious injuries.

His alleged attacker was arrested soon after and is being investigated for attempted murder.

An Ayuntamiento de Torremolinos employee found the victim bleeding profusely from the neck and attempted to prevent further bleeding.

The 43-year-old man arrested had suffered wounds to his back and head.

It is believed the men had been involved in a fight near a bar in the La Nogalera area before they bumped into each other again on Calle Marques de Salamanca, where the stabbing took place.

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A MAN was stabbed in the neck in Torremolinos before his

BECK’S VINTAGE CELEBRATION

TWO celebrity couples enjoyed a special birthday wine trip to a Valladolid vineyard to celebrate ex-footballer, and now club owner, David Beckham turning 49. He travelled with his wife Victoria and close friends Gordon and Tana Ramsay on a private jet for some top notch wining and dining. And David did not return empty handed - he was spotted

Expat family in Marbella are ‘so proud’ after their young daughter wows judges on The Voice Kids in Spain

A YOUNG British expat from Marbella has wowed judges on The Voice Kids Spain, making her family ‘so proud’. Carmen Holden was just 11 when she stepped out onto the La Voz Kids stage.

The British expat moved to Marbella when she was a toddler and her home has always been full of music.

“Don’t let my name fool you, I’m Scottish” she proudly said in the episode:

“We like to listen to music a lot at home,” she continued.

clutching a €1,000 bottle of Dominio de Pingus.

A source close to the group said: “David and Victoria have for many years enjoyed days out to vineyards with Gordon and Tana. It is kind of their thing.”

Meanwhile Victoria, who turned 50 last month, was seen without crutches for the first time after she broke her foot on Valentine’s Day.

A star is born SPECIAL DELIVERY

“My dad sings and my brother plays guitar. We’ve tried to make a band and we’ve written songs. It’s great.” With music in her blood,

EXCLUSIVE

By Yzabelle Bostyn

Carmen claims many people have told her she has ‘a special voice’.

She was often encouraged to sign up to The Voice but ‘never thought she’d actually be able to do it’.

However, Carmen, now 12, fought back her ‘nerves’, saying: “I’m nervous but excited to go out and sing.

“For me, The Voice Kids is just a game, whatever happens, the most important thing is to enjoy it.”

She sang a heart wrenching rendition of Always Remember Us This Way, by Lady Gaga.

Impressive

The song was featured in the acclaimed film, A Star is Born and includes some impressive notes.

It was one of these that made Spanish pop star, Lola Indigo, push her big red button and sign Carmen up to her team.

After congratulating Carmen and giving her a hug, Lola shared her surprise at seeing someone so young.

She said: “You did really well, there were little things to improve, but to me it’s not important because you’re still so young.

“When I turned and saw you, so small, I thought ‘this can’t be right’..but now you’re with

me, next time, no nerves, calm, with me by your side we’ll go forward and just enjoy it.”

The pair broke

out in ‘happy’ tears, according to Lola: “I was very happy when I saw her because she is so cute, sweet and excited.”

Meanwhile, Pop Flamenco artist Rosario Flores praised Carmen, saying: “You don’t know how good your voice is! I was about to turn around but when Lola turned, I knew I couldn’t steal you from her!”

In between many ‘thank yous’, Carmen managed to say: “I’ve seen you all on TV so to see you now is incredible.”

Singer David Bisbal then asked Carmen where she was from.

Upon hearing she was from Marbella, he exclaimed: “Enjoying Andalucia, you’ve chosen a spectacular place to live.”

Her new coach, Lola, inaugurated Carmen into her team, giving her an Equipo Lola bracelet.

Carmen is a great fit for

the singer and dancer, also known as Miriam Doblas Muñoz.

The expat loves Hip Hop dancing and is part of a troupe at Fuego Dance, Fuengirola.

Speaking to the Olive Press, Carmen’s mum Angela Lafferty, said: “We are so, so proud of her for being so brave.

Seeing her walk out on that stage alone was so nerve-wracking for us, but she is a brave little girl and she has always loved singing, so she was determined to do it.

“It’s also great for her as an expat to be part of something Spanish, to feel like she belongs to this country.”

AUSTRALIAN actor Nicole Kidman went Spanish to dazzle visitors to the annual Met Gala in New York. Kidman went retro in a dress created by the Balenciaga luxury fashion house founded 105 years ago in San Sebastian. The theme of the Met evening was The Garden of Time with floral pieces worn by many of the visitors.

But Balenciaga designer, Demna, was more interested in exploiting the ‘time’ element. Every guest dressed in Balenciaga wore something inspired by the past - like Nicole Kidman’s gown. It was inspired by a

tiers of feathered details.

TWO giant pandas have arrived on a flight from China, and are settling into their new home at Madrid Zoo. Jin Xi and Zhu Yu travelled in specially-prepared transport cag-

public will have to wait before meeting the new arrivals, with this month set aside to ensure the couple are in good health. They replace Hua Zui Ba, 20, and Bing Xing, 23, who left Madrid to return to Chengdu in late February, having been there since 2007. In the past decade, they have had three offspring: Chulina, 7, and twins You You and Jiu Jiu, 2, who have also gone to China. Spain has been part of China’s conservation programme for more than 40 years, hosting Chu Lin, the first panda born in captivity in Europe, for 14 years at Madrid Zoo in the 80s and 90s.

Cristobal Balenciaga Haute Couture piece from 1951, with

IN THE BLOOD: Carmen Holden’s dad and brother are also musicians

HUG: Lola Indigo chose Carmen for her team

PAIR OF PANDAS: Jin and Zhu from China

A group of Gibraltar police officers have passed a Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) course on the Rock this week.

The officers, from the Royal Gibraltar Police and Gibraltar Defence Police learnt how to respond to a mass fatality incident, such as an aircraft disaster.

The four-day course is approved by the College of Policing and was completed by 17 officers.

THE Celebration of Opera returns to Gibraltar next week with a sterling line-up put on by the Gibraltar Philharmonic Society.

The gala evening will feature performances by Sandra Ferrandez (mezzo-soprano, pictured left), Javier Franco (baritone) and Irene Alfageme (pianoforte).

Some of the popular classics to be performed include Rossini’s Canzone Italiana, El Vito, Del Cabello Mas Sutil and arias/duets from operas such as Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Carmen

The concert will be held on Wednesday, May 22, at The Convent Ballroom at 8pm with tickets at £22 or £10 for students and senior citizens.

The big show Police prepared Open and shut

Held at Devil’s Tower Camp, the officers had to pass many assessments to gain the new certification. They had all volunteered to undertake the training, organised by the UKDVI team and funded by the Home Office.

Lynzi Lefort, the UKDVI Deputy National Coordinator, said: “We never want such an event to happen, but by providing and receiving the training we ensure that we, as a team, respond and deliver for our communities and that families receive the level of service they expect and deserve.”

New supreme

PROFESSOR Matthew

Charles Edmund Happold has been appointed Puisne Judge of the Supreme Court. He will be in the position for a fixed term of three years and will take up office on August 1, 2024.

Happold was called to the Bar of England Wales in 1995 and has combined a career in academia with legal practice. He has previously been the Professor of Public International Law at the University of Luxembourg. Now, his appointment has been approved by the Governor Vice Admiral Sir David Steel.

Fabian Picardo puts on masterclass in revealing nothing only to be undone by former Governor Nick Pyle’s frank admissions as the McGrail inquiry bids adieu for now

THE main hearings of the McGrail inquiry wrapped up last week with the blockbuster testimony of Chief Minister Fabian Picardo followed by the former acting Governor Nick Pyle.

The two senior figures, both directly involved in the early retirement of former Commissioner of Police Ian McGrail in June 2020, gave contrasting performances in the hot seat.

Picardo, 52, brought to bear all his political and rhetorical skills from 13 years as Gibraltar’s leader against the string of highly-regarded barristers who had lined up to take aim at him.

A series of seemingly-incisive questions were met with endless word salad responses and rhetorical questions that revealed very little.

Yet despite the bravura performance, lawyers

By Walter Finch at the

managed to extract from Picardo the admission that he had shared sensitive information with a potential suspect in a criminal inquiry.

The inquiry heard that Picardo was outraged at the search warrant issued against his former boss, Hassans senior partner James Levy on May 12, 2020, without actually having seen the police’s underlying evidence.

Grey

The warrant against Levy, who has variously been described as ‘Gibraltar’s most powerful lawyer’, the ‘grey man’, and most recently - by Picardo himself - ‘Gibraltar’s biggest rain maker’, has been central to the inquiry.

Picardo admitted that he shared erroneous infor-

Cruising in

But he justified this by saying he had been telling ‘all and sundry’ as it was ‘an important issue about town’.

The DPP, Christian Rocca, had contradicted the Chief Minister by telling the inquiry he had not advised McGrail either way on the search warrant.

However, Picardo’s muscular display was undermined by a disarmingly candid one from Pyle over the following two days.

Gibraltar Police Authority demanding McGrail step down had been entirely drafted by Picardo. He also admitted McGrail never had a chance to respond to the charges against him, when Pyle himself had cited McGrail doing the same as one of the reasons for getting rid of him.

Worse

QUALITY CARE

GIBRALTAR Alzheimer’s and Dementia Society has funded an innovative Dementia Palliative Care Course.

It was delivered virtually by St Christopher’s Hospice, London and is designed to educate Health and Social Care staff.

The course aims to enhance the quality of care for individuals living with dementia in the local area.

A significant milestone in the realm of palliative and dementia care, it was designed in collaboration with palliative care doctor, Dr Bronwen James and dementia coordinator, Karen Truman.

EQUAL FOOTING

GIBRALTAR Football Association has received a series of training workshops on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Delivered by the Ministry of Equality, the first session was opened by Minister for Equality, Christian Santos. The remaining sessions were delivered by Marlene Dalli from the ministry and covered several issues including unconscious biases and how to mitigate them.

Santos said: “Equality, diversity and inclusion are key considerations for any organisation which is modern and forward-looking and seeking to enhance its engagement and communication with all its stakeholders.”

Animal Crackers

EXPATS in Estepona have demanded action after the bodies of four dead lambs which were found beside floral wreaths and candles in a local river.

They claim the ghoulish discovery suggests a bizarre ritual may have taken place.

A NORWEGIAN cruise ship docked at Gibraltar port for the first time. It arrived at midday from Valencia and departed later that evening to Malaga.

The ship was carrying 2,289 passengers over 14 decks. CEO of the Gibraltar Tourist Board, Kevin Bossino, went aboard the ship, named Norweigan Dawn

He exchanged plaques with the vessel’s captain, Asen Gyurov. Minister for Tourism, the Hon Christian Santos MP said: “It is always great to have new cruise ships visiting Gibraltar as it demonstrates the importance of our port and gives us the opportunity to showcase what we have to offer as a prime tourist destination.”

mation with Hassans that Gibraltar’s Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had ‘strongly advised McGrail against’ a search warrant.

The interim Governor of the time, who had also played a critical role in forcing McGrail’s retirement, admitted that the process had been stage-managed by the Chief Minister.

Pyle conceded without a fight that the letters from the nominally independent

HELL FIRE

It was left to the inquiry chairman, Sir Peter Openshaw, to conclude that it was not a good comparison, as ‘it seems to me [that Pyle’s offence is] far worse.’

The inquiry will reconvene on June 25 and 26 for final submissions, but there will be a wait of months before Openshaw is expected to deliver his report.

AN investigation has been opened after the Gibraltar Fire and Rescue Service were called to put out a fire at Devil’s Gap. It started in a shed near the nature reserve on Saturday evening but was promptly contained without any evacuations or injuries. Favourable weather conditions, especially the absence of wind, played a crucial role in managing the fire, according to Chief Fire Officer Colin Ramirez - but they may not be so lucky next time. He then warned the risk of such incidents would grow as the dry season approached and called for extra care.

Described as ‘satanic-style’, the group, which has asked not to be named, tipped off the Guardia Civil’s environmental arm to investigate. It was found alongside eggs and fruit by a local resident during a morning walk along El Padron river, near Laguna Village.

The discovery sent social media into a tailspin with expats posting on Estepona Info and Chat that lambs and fruit are linked to Spring rituals.

“Lamb represents innocence, eggs represents fertility, flowers represent memorial/celebration and candles represent light and guidance.”

Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es if you have any ideas

McGrail inquiry

ARRIVAL: McGrail (left) and Picardo (back) arriving

Voted

top expat paper in

Spain

A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than two million people a month.

OPINION

Laughing stock

THE justice system in Andalucia risks becoming a laughing stock after the latest succession of headline-grabbing failures (Clean getaway, p2).

First, a highly dangerous boss of the Dutch mafia is released on bail - despite requests from the Netherlands to keep him locked up ahead of extradition.

Then - shock horror - he fails to turn up to his mandated court appearance and is officially declared on the run.

But the humiliation doesn’t end there, after it emerged this week that an official arrest warrant was not issued until three weeks later.

Either someone is being paid to be conveniently useless, or the incompetence is genuine - and we are not sure which is worse!

The Netherlands were rightly furious, particularly given that Karim Bouyakhrichan’s gang had made several threats against the life of the Dutch crown princess.

As if the authorities were not red faced enough, another embarrassing episode was waiting around the corner.

Police caused somewhat of a media frenzy when they announced that the British and Irish gangsters accused of shooting up a restaurant in Marbella had also failed to turn up to a mandated appointment at a police station.

However, there had been yet another lapse in communication.

The appointment was for them to hand over their passports - which was made rather difficult given that the police already had them!

The lads handed themselves in the next day after seeing the widespread media reports suggesting they had done a runner.

It’s a rather worrying litany of errors that leaves residents wondering who - if anyone - is in charge at police HQ.

Let’s hope they get their act together as the summer season approaches, because lord knows they’re going to be kept busy.

PUBLISHER / EDITOR

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es

Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es

Walter Finch walter@theolivepress.es

Yzabelle Bostyn yzabelle@theolivepress.es

Humenyuk Makarova (+34) 951 154 841 admin@theolivepress.es

Simon Hunter simon@theolivepress.es

Alex Trelinski alex@theolivepress.es

Ben Pawlowski ben@theolivepress.es

Héctor Santaella (+34) 658 750 424 accounts@ theolivepress.es

THE DRIFTER

As the trial of Maddie suspect Christian Brueckner starts again in Germany this week, JON CLARKE traces his suspicious movements through Spain and Portugal in May 2007

MADELEINE McCann suspect Christian Brueckner stayed in at least half a dozen places around the Algarve and Spain in the month before the British toddler went missing.

The dangerous drifter had at least one trip to Andalucia in May 2007, as well as many nights spent on three beaches near Praia da Luz, where Maddie vanished this month, 17 years ago.

In an in-depth investigation, the Olive Press has established the German sex offender also parked his distinctive white and yellow VW camper van (below) at a 'hippy travellers camp', an isolated lake and two inland villages on the Algarve.

Talking to a series of close friends and contacts, who spent time with the German pae-

dophile, 47, that Spring, we pieced together a forensic picture of his movements.

Above all, we have established Bruecknerwho is currently on trial for five other sex offences committed in Portugal - was 'constantly on the move'.

"He was bobbing around here, there and everywhere and was completely up to no good, in particular selling drugs," revealed Ken Ralphs, a British traveller, who was living on various beaches near Praia da Luz at the time.

"I was also moving around up and down the coast doing satellite TV installations for van-lifers and kept seeing his yellow and white van.

"He never stayed anywhere for long and always parked up away from the main groups, usually out of sight of the police.

"He was a shady guy, who we all knew to keep at arm's length."

We can reveal how he stayed at a trio of beaches West of the popular Algarve resort,

DON’T PANIC!

Marbella, the ‘Global HQ for organised crime’ is still safe despite the recent shootings - UNLESS you want to become a drug lord, writes long time resident Laurence Dollimore

theolivepress.es

IF you happened to pick up the Sunday Times last week, you may have spotted an article declaring Marbella the epicentre of the ‘Costa del Globalised Crime’.

The piece by senior journalist Matthew Campbell brands the tourism hotspot as the ‘global headquarters’ for a ‘multinational array of organised criminal gangs.’

He cites the more than 100 mafia gangs from 59 different countries that operate there, and he’s not wrong; it would be foolish to deny the existence of these criminal gangs.

But they are hardly anything new.

As told in the recently released popular crime drama Marbella on Movistar+ gangsters have roamed the Costa del Sol and nearby Costa Blanca for decades.

The fact is the strategic location of the Spanish costas means they will always be a major entry point for drugs, particularly cocaine from South America and hashish from Morocco.

The sheer amount of product being sent via containers to the port of Algeciras and via ‘narco’ speed boats up and down the coastline has never ceased.

And the only place which has seen a big increase over recent years is on the Algarve of Portugal, and that’s our next door neighbour. Drug traffickers have long been able to pay off police and border officials - who have some of the lowest salaries in Europe.

Meanwhile the constantly high volume of contraband being transported makes it impossible to make a meaningful dent in their

where the McCanns were holidaying with friends.

They included Praia da Boca do Rio, Praia Amado, in Carrapateira, and Praia de Barranco, where German police released a photo of his distinctive VW Westfalia van parked up, in June 2020, when they announced he was the ‘prime suspect’ in the abduction.

In particular, Brueckner liked staying up on the ‘ledges’ at Boca do Rio, which sat on cliffs between the stunning pristine beach and nearby village of Zalema, reached via a steep dirt track. German police are certain he was here on April 7, 2007, the day a young girl, 10, was groped by a man with blonde scruffy hair and blue eyes on Zalema Beach.

Joana E, now 27, and her parents will tell Braunschweig court this month that the attacker was Brueckner and he was naked apart

operations - with just 10 containers filled with cocaine seized in Algeciras port in 2022.

For reference, the port manages around four million containers per year.

The story is repeated across Spain, with just 2% of containers being searched in Barcelona and a similar amount in Valencia and Bilbao.

While the recent shootings - officially five, although we can reveal there may have been be as many as a dozen this year - can be worrying, it’s important to stress the gangsters are not targeting innocent civilians.

Indeed, almost every time it happens, it is either a direct attack on a rival gang or just sending a message.

No one innocent has been seriously hurt in any of the reported incidents so far this year. And they are a far cry from the days of the Kinahans in the early 2000s - which saw deadly shootouts on the streets of the Costa del Sol.

But even then, very few innocent bystanders were killed.

Or even six years ago, when Colombians assassinated a man outside a church in Marbella’s San Pedro.

Even then, it was understood that the victim had become involved in organised crime and had amassed a huge debt with a mafia.

So no, you are not going to be shot if you visit or move to Marbella - unless you want to

start trafficking drugs.

I certainly feel more safe here than I did when I lived in London. And neither my News Editor colleague, Dilip, or the editor Jon Clarke, who’s lived in or around Marbella for two decades, has ever seen a violent incident or been attacked. Even robbed. When comparing, say Manchester or Stockholm to Marbella, I certainly feel far safer walking home alone late at night. You never get the feeling of being attacked or stabbed in a dodgy area, nor be worried of something kicking off on the bus or at a bar. And that’s even on second line Puerto Banus late on a Friday night. Meanwhile, authorities are fighting back by putting more officers on the streets and increasing their surveillance via drones and canines.

This week alone, we have seen five men lying on the ground outside Aldi at police gunpoint, roadblocks at more than half a dozen places and a raid with a helicopter at a padel club.

The country’s best trained detectives are also now starting to tackle the scourge of police corruption. On the Costa del Sol, a secret, plain-clothed A

HEADLINES: Recent arrests hit the news, but the reality is not so grim

VANLIFERS: Ken Ralphs (far right) with hippies on Barranco beach and (right) his van on the same beach

S the sun begins to set and the shadows lengthen behind the yardarm, those-in-the-know start to emerge.

The perfect time to visit Mijas, it’s when the classic white-washed village converts back to type.

•

• Hams

• Cheeses

village or, even better, clamber up above it, into the nearby countryside and you will look down on one of Andalucia’s most privileged places to live.

High up above the Mediterranean, the sea shimmering in the distance, you quickly get the vivid sense of what life was like a century ago.

Out come the locals, in come the sea breezes, and all around are the wonderful green hills of the Sierra de Mijas, which abuts the Sierra de Las Nieves National Park. Take a walk around the Continues on next page It’s as the sun sets when the magic of Mijas

• Olive oil

• Wines

• Preserves

Culture vulture’s dream

Mijas is certainly at its best after 6pm in spring or summer when the tourist coaches have gone and the ambience of the place becomes all apparent. As you wander around, doors start to open and the locals come out with a chair and sit and watch the world go by, while children play in the street. Charming black and white photos posted on walls take you back at least half a century, to a quieter time when there were no mobile phones, no emails and no social media.

Each

square offers a new photo opportunity, while the numerous nooks and crannies number into the dozens.

Even better, as you stroll around you’ll keep finding countless bars, many with terraces outside, serving Malaga’s finest Victoria lager, or a chilled Manzanilla.

Back in the main square, next to the town hall, is the best place to start.

It is here where you can get the perfect holiday snap, sitting on the bronze donkey statue, with its views down to the sea.

Most tourists arrive in the multi storey car park below, a mere 15 minute drive up from the coast.

From here you are mostly in shanks pony mode as you enjoy the pedestrian friendly village.

Start in the big leafy square, Plaza Virgen de la Pena, which has a big playground for the kids and where you can take a donkey taxi or horsedrawn cart, if you don’t fancy walking.

Each will

HISTORY TOUR: Virgin of the Rock, while (left) two street scenes and (right) an artisan shop

take you on a fun, whistle-stop tour of the pueblo, taking a peek at its authenticity, history and charm.

The pueblo, as it’s known in Spanish, spreads out like a ribbon along the southern fringes of the pine-clad Sierra de Mijas.

Looking to really stretch your legs at each end of the village you can start a hike taking between two to three hours, the best known being to the Puerto del Pino or the Ruta de los Duendes.

For those short of time - or puff - the short 30-minute stroll to the former Cantera El Puerto quarry still offers up excellent views and a good place for a picnic.

At this time of year the proliferation of wild flowers is only bettered by the fresh smell of pine and lavender as you head uphill.

European Short-towed or Booted eagles swoop around, of-

ten alongside Griffon vultures, while you’re also likely to spot Bee-eaters and Hoopoes. Back in town, the municipal museum offers a brilliant hike back through history with some fabulous photos, to boot. There are various routes through town with maps available from the townhall and tourist office. The walking-tours

I PULLED MY OWN TEETH OUT

The remarkable story

of the

Mole

of

Mijas who hid

underground

during the Franco dictatorship has now been turned into an ‘escape room’ experience… with a twist!

IT is one of the most remarkable stories to emerge from the Franco era.

Now best known as ‘The Mole of Mijas’, Manuel Cortes Quero was the last Republican mayor of the pueblo, from March to November of 1936.

However, when the town fell to dictator Franco’s nationalist troops during the Spanish Civil War he was forced to abandon his wife and newborn daughter and flee the town under the cover of darkness.

under the stairs behind a false wall.

“I pulled out my own teeth, as soon as I got an ache,” Cortes said later. “I would work at the tooth until it was loose and then I would yank it out with my fingers, without any pliers or tongs. I pulled out nine or ten teeth this way.”

In 1960, after 21 years of hiding, Cortes’ daughter Maria got married.

The tyranny of the dictatorship could not last forever

However he returned in 1939, willing to sacrifice his freedom in exchange for living under the same roof as his family, making himself a prisoner in his own home.

For 30 years - YES you read that correctly, THIRTY years - the Mole stayed hidden, tucked in a cramped space

“I had to make do with watching her come out of church through a little hole above,” he said.

“The wedding procession left the house and after the ceremony Maria scurried away to come to my room and kiss me, just as we had planned.”

Listening to the radio on March 28, 1969, with his ear pressed to the wall,

KEEPING AN EAR TO THE

Cortes heard the news that he had been waiting 30 years to hear. The government had granted amnesty to those people who had committed crimes from July 18 1936 to April 1 1939.

“I got a lump in my throat because of the emotion of the moment,” said Cortes. “I couldn’t think straight.”

The then mayor of Mijas, Miguel Gonzalez, accompanied Cortes to the headquarters of the Guardia Civil in Mala-

ga,

“I never

in

The tyranny of the dictatorship could not last forever.”

HIDEOUT: The Mole’s room in the heart of Mijas

UNDERGROUND: Manuel Cortes

where the world’s press waited to hear the confirmation that he was finally free. “Was it worth it?” asked Cortes.

lost faith

democracy.

are well signposted, with excellent translations in English and each is colour coded making them easy to follow.

Also make sure to visit the historic bullring, built in 1900, which is unusual due to its oval shape, as well as boasting charming gardens.

The great and the good of

One must visit is the Virgin of the Rock, half-cave, half-chapel carved out of the mountainside with the village’s patron saint statue at a viewpoint. The panoramic views stretch all along the Costa del Sol and over to Africa and the shade here is particularly good during the heat of summer.

bullfighting have brought death in the afternoon, from Paquirri to Paco Ojeda and even the colourful faenas of British bullfighter Frank Evans, aka El Ingles, who famously fought in the ring at 71 years old.

Bullfights are pretty unheard of these days, but you might catch a horse-show if you’re lucky. Alternatively head off at a tangent into the backstreets as getting lost in the maze of alleyways is one of the best things about the pueblo.

You’ll be amazed by what you might find, from sleepy chapels to a hidden fountain and from random caves to one amazing vaulted ceiling spit-and-sawdust joint, with a bank of ancient radios on the wall.

array of items including shoes, hats and bags, many sold to tourists over the years.

Life was anything but easy in the previous few centuries

One of them could have been the ancient transistor that the former mayor, the famous Mole of Mijas, listened to when he hid for five years during and after the Spanish Civil War.

You can learn more about him at the municipal museum, as well as about the area’s traditional form of making money selling esparto products (a kind of wild mountain grass).

Traditionally collected from the nearby hills, it was weaved into a huge

There is a statue of an espartero worker in the main square and the museum explains well how it became an invaluable source of income during the tough times after the civil war and during the Franco dictatorship. Beside an evocative photo of a grandmother (left) stitching it together in the street, is a touching elegy to the trade. “One has to be born to work in the mountains. Collecting esparto sounds easy, but it isn’t. The mountain changes every year. It is full of cracks and holes that are covered with weeds, one must know how to walk there.

“I have travelled as far as Granada and Cordoba to collect it. On these trips, you had to sleep under trees, even at Christmas when it was far too cold. In the end we managed to save around 300 to 400 pesetas. We were used to living with so little in those times.”

Life for Mijas folk was anything but easy in the previous

few centuries, particularly for women, who often worked the land, while their husbands went off to find esparto or went off to work abroad, particularly during the Franco dictatorship from 1940 to 1975.

People were so poor they had only one outfit for work and one for holidays. “It was a life of miseries a thousand times

worse than I can explain,” explains one old timer. It’s testament to Mijas that the memories, even tough ones, have not been forgotten and today, the town has struck an impressive balance between encouraging its thriving tourist industry and maintaining its authenticity. Now I’m off for one of those cold Victoria beers.

INDUSTRY: But the esparto grass made only 400 pesetas a month

CURVES: From the vaulted ceiling bar (left) to the unusual bullring and (inset) ‘El Ingles’ Frank Evens last flight

LITTLE CHANGE: At Mijas Pueblo’s main church

BYGONE TOWN

MIJAS workers created an industry around the weaving of esparto grass, men picking it in the high mountains and women folk creating a range of baskets, hats and even shoes. Everything was tranported by donkey and men always wore hats, while on the hardly developed coast fishing made much more money than tourism.

your way MIJAS,

Immerse yourself in a sensory experience

Indulge in exquisite gastronomy, breathe in the refreshing sea air as you wander through our whitewashed streets, explore our majestic mountains, and engage in outdoor activities at our renowned golf courses

DE MIJAS

from a rucksack during the broad daylight attack. They will also reveal that after sexually assaulting her while masterbating, the German-speaking man ran away up a steep path towards Boca do Río (above).

Despite the family giving a detailed police report the following day, the chief of Villa do Bispo police station didn't rule the crime serious enough to investigate and it was archived.

No detective ever went out to investigate and the report was not even deemed worthwhile to send to cops probing missing Madeleine four weeks later. It was during these next few weeks that a number of holidaymakers reported seeing an ugly-looking spotty man hanging around watching tourist apartments, in Praia da Luz.

One told police (and later a Netflix documentary) that the man had acted 'creepily' in front of her young daughter, while a local expat schoolgirl told cops she saw a man fixedly watching the Ocean Club apartment, where Maddie was snatched, two days in a row.

And the Olive Press can reveal that in the last week of April there was an attempted snatch of another toddler in the resort.

The girl - who was just four and on holiday with her parents - looked ‘very similar to Madeleine’. Sensationally, the family - whose identity we are not revealing - told this paper they believed they were 'being watched' in the days before their four-year-old was nearly grabbed by a man on a motorbike.

"We were walking home from the beach when this man whizzed past and tried to scoop her up," the mother told the Olive Press, last week "Luckily I spotted it and screamed really loudly forcing the man to wobble and drop her down," she continued.

police force hides in plain sight, keeping a constant eye on the biggest mafia players - and are ready to move in and arrest at the drop of a hat.

The 30-strong force, called GRECO, works on rotation around the country, with officers switched out once a month to four distinct bases around the country.

This is so they cannot form unhealthy relationships with gangsters and be exposed to bribes and corruption.

The Olive Press has reported alongside them a number of times over recent years and they have been behind many dramatic arrests and literally know all the key gangsters.

“We work out at their gyms, we play padel at their clubs, we drink in their bars,” one told us last year. “We know exactly who they are and we keep close tabs on them.”

He added: “Trust me, they don’t want to get into wars. They want to keep below the radar and get on with their business. Headlines and high-profile policing only makes their lives more difficult.”

With this honest, open appraisal, it seems certain they and their uniformed colleagues at both the National Police and Guardia Civil will help to keep the coast safe this summer.

So do not fret, residents and visitors to Marbella, alike, keep your nose clean and you’ll be perfectly safe.

"He then drove up the road and up a ramp into a white van that drove off at top speed."

When shown a photo of Brueckner from the time she said it 'could easily be' the man who was watching their apartment for days before the snatch attempt.

Despite reporting the incident, Portuguese police never contacted the family for more information.

Indeed, it was only in the last couple of years that a detective from Scotland Yard - acting alongside the German BKAcontacted them.

"I really don't understand why more hasn't been done and why

no one took interest at the time."

The alarming amount of similar incidents before Maddie was taken on May 3, has never been fully recorded until now.

German police told the Olive Press they are now probing 'a number of incidents around Praia da Luz in the months before Madeleine went missing'.

In an interview with the Olive Press in June 2020, friend of Brueckner Michael Tatschl catalogued how he had become fixated on how much money he could make from snatching and selling children.

The Austrian carpenter had lived in Brueckner's rental home in Praia da Luz in early 2006 before sharing a cell with him in Portimao prison for eight months when found guilty of fuel theft.

He told the Olive Press he stayed in touch with Brueckner after getting out of prison in December 2006, when he moved to Orgiva, near Granada.

“Christian had lost the house (in Praia da Luz) but he was still enjoying living in the area,” he revealed.

“I think that confused the police a little as they were not sure where he was living exactly when Maddie vanished.

“Basically he had his VW and was living free, going to raves and selling drugs to the local party crowd.”

He said Brueckner turned up in Orgiva around February or March 2007 and again out of the blue in 'late May or early June' in a huge Tiffin Allegro motorhome.

Neither he, nor their mutual friends, could understand where he had suddenly got the money to buy the giant American vehicle.

He added he was 'convinced' Brueckner had made this money snatching Maddie and was 'obsessed about making a million'

“He was always bragging about money and making money, particularly from burglaries. He even talked about selling kids, maybe to Morocco,” he revealed.

Another friend, meanwhile, told the Olive Press, she believed he spent at least ‘a few nights’ at his favourite inland lake in April 2007.

The German mother-of-two (pictured below at Arade lake amp) knew him since he first moved to the Algarve in the mid 1990s with his then girlfriend Silke.

She said he loved the ‘silence and peace’ of the inland barragems – reservoirs that supply water to the Algarve – which are frequented by dozens of hippy travellers.

In particular he loved the Arade lake, where he made a camp and where he frequently went back

for periods of time for years.

The seamstress, whose mechanic husband fixed various cars and vans of Brueckner, visited the camp with him on a number of occasions.

“We went to pick up some rocks to build a wall around my swimming pool,” she told the Olive Press “He loved it there and had a specific spot he liked to park his VW and a place he slept nearby in the trees

“He carved a path through the trees and sculpted a big stone circle down near the water’s edge.

“I think this is where he was sleeping in the days Maddie went missing and I fear this is where he buried her body,” she added this week.

Last year German and Portuguese Police spent a week probing the lake and surrounding area, and according to sources found at least one ‘relevant’ clue.

Spookily, a makeshift shrine pointing at his camp was erected on the other side of the lake in the months after she vanished.

Finally, it’s known he was on the move inland on the night of April 3 when Maddie vanished. His girlfriend at the time, Nicole F, revealed he parked up outside her house (above) in the village of Foral 45 minutes from Praia da Luz on the night.

She said he phoned her at one point that evening and arrived in the early hours of the morning. She told the Mail On Sunday he told her he was ‘coming from Tomar’ a university town five hours north of the Algarve.

Oddly, he was not there when she woke up in the morning and she said she didn’t remember when

she saw him again.

The university town has been the focus of various investigations and convic tions into child abuse networks over recent years, involving a number of figures, including a priest and a lawyer. Brueckner had a friend studying at the university at the time, it can be revealed.

Jon Clarke’s book, My Search for Madeleine, is the definitive guide to what happened to the toddler, published by OP Books and available on Amazon

BEACHSIDE: Brueckner camped on the ‘ledges’ between Boca do Rio and Zalema

ON THE MOVE: Between hippy camp in Carrapateira and Foral (below)

LAKE CAMP: Brueckner stayed at Arade lake around the time Maddie vanished

PRAIA DA BOCA DO RIO

PRAIA AMADO

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

TOLL FREE

PORTUGAL is on the verge of scrapping tolls on roads that connect the country to Spain where no ‘safe and high quality’ alternative route is available.

The government estimates that the initiative will cost around €157 million.

Among the roads that will become free is the A22 in the Algarve, which connects to Andalucia; the A4, which leads into Zamora province, as well as the A13, A23 and A24, which reache Ourense.

The draft law still has to go through several stages before coming into force, including its signing by the head of the parliament and the president, before it is sent to the prime minister.

Social outrage

FLASHPOINTS between tourists and locals are emerging on social media after holidaymakers were accused of ‘taking all the seats’ of a bus in Andalucia.

A photo shared by the Albazyn_Habitable campaign group in Granada shows an elderly woman and other people standing in a packed out bus.

The caption reads: “The bus filled with sitting tourists and the old people from the neighbourhood standing.

“Unfortunately, this scene is

FROM THE ASHES

LAGUNA Village has risen from the ashes as a super-luxury beach club.

The leisure complex was razed to the ground in August four years ago when sparks from a grass fire were blown across the A-7 main road and ignited flames on the complex’s thatched roof. It has been completely rebuilt at a cost of €25 million

Campaigns against tourists stirring up conflicting feelings

By Laurence Dollimore

repeated almost daily and is complicated because the urban buses are full and the elderly people struggle to stay standing up.”

It comes as a separate anti-tourism campaign on the Canary Islands has been

RESURRECTED: From the smoking remains (left) to super luxury

as Sublim Beach Club, part of the Grupo Pacha, best known as pioneers of Ibiza’s clubbing scene.

24/7 EMERGENCY ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE

BREAK DOWN COVER

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BREAKDOWN KIT

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branded ‘xenophobic’ and ‘aggressive’ by locals who say leaders of the movement are becoming ‘more and more unbearable’.

A series of posters shared on Instagram show a string of expletive-laden messages

Línea Directa policyholders simply call 919 171 171 and inform the emergency hotline where you are.

Línea Directa provides emergency roadside assistance anywhere in Spain 24/7 and 365 days a year, with a national network of operators and recovery vehicles.

GEOLOCATION SERVICE

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This emergency breakdown kit should be kept in your vehicle at all times. The kit includes: a torch and spare batteries, warm clothes and blankets, high-visibility jacket, first aid kit, jump start cables, empty fuel can, food and drink, two reflective warning signs, a road atlas, and a mobile phone charger.

20 YEARS OF EXPERTISE

OVER

As Spain’s most experienced provider of insurance for British expatriates, Línea Directa has been keeping motorists on the move for over 20 years.

We hope the information provided in this article is of interest. If you would like to contact Línea Directa please call 952 147 834. More information about Línea Directa online at www. lineadirecta.com

RUDE: Poster has been called ‘too agressive’

written in English on postcard-style backgrounds.

One poster reads: “It could be my house but it’s your f***ing Airbnb,” while another says, “the fact that you arrive forces us to leave.”

While many comments supported the designs for ‘saying what we are all feeling’, there were just as many criticising them.

One commenter said in

Spanish: “The message is too aggressive and badly directed. The tourists are not to blame, it’s a question of our politics.”

In one impassioned post, a local said: “The guiris are not to blame at all, the majority of them are normal people who come here to relax and they don’t buy homes to rent them out nor destroy the environment’.

PIMPI UP

EL Pimpi Marbella has opened its doors with help from Mask of Zorro star, Antonio Banderas. The famous Malaga bodega is spreading across the Costa del Sol, with a new restaurant inside Marbella’s Puente Romano Beach Resort Hotel. A chic rebirth of the original, the venue was inaugurated by Malaga native actor and director, Antonio Banderas. The Puss in Boots star is also part owner of the new bodega, alongside Elena Cobos and Pablo Gonzalo.

Guiris’ beach club

A MOOTED regional tourist tax has been dismissed by the President of Andalucia.

Juanma Moreno argued that his conservative Partido Popular (PP) is not in favour of ‘imposition’, and added that ‘there is no social backing’ for such a levy. Moreno was responding to a question from politician Jose Ignacio Garcia, of the Adelante Andalucia party. He warned that there was a risk that the region was set to become a ‘beach club for guiris’, using the slang Spanish word for foreigners. The PP leader responded by pointing to a study that showed 84% of Andalucians are against the idea of introducing new taxes on tourism. Currently three cities in Spain have a tourist tax: Barcelona, Girona and Palma de Mallorca.

LA CULTURA

ITALIAN artist Ercole Pignatelli has been recreating Picasso's famous Spanish Civil War painting Guernica in front of a live audience in only 12 days. Picasso’s work - done in black and white - is regarded as one of the greatest pieces of con -

November 29thDecember 12th 2023 LOOKING FOR MORE CULTURE STORIES?

Masterpiece tribute

temporary anti-war art. The piece travelled around the world including Milan before returning to its permanent home of the Reina Sofia muse-

um in Madrid. Ercole Pignatelli was so inspired by seeing it in his home city as a teenager, that now aged 89, he's recreating and reinterpreting Guernica

as a live performance piece. Pignatelli has been doing the lifesize reproduction in Milan’s Caryatids Hall which is planned to be concluded on thursday.

“In 1953 I stayed for days and days looking at Picasso's masterpiecesit was total admiration, “ he said.

SPAIN’S Culture Ministry

has cancelled a national bullfighting prize and is to start the process of eliminating the award for good.

The National Bullfighting Prize was created in 2011, and awards a prize of €30,000 to the winning matador.

While events involving bulls remain popular at local fiestas in Spain, enthusiasm for bullfights themselves has been waning.

There were 3,651 bullfighting events held in Spain in 2007, falling to 1,546 in 2022.

Of these just 412 were actual bullfights, while the rest were variations such as rejoneos , which are performed on horseback.

THERE was disappointment for Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest as Nebulossa’s Zorra could only muster 30 points for 22nd place. Switzerland was crowned the winner with a massive 591 points with Nemo clinched the title after son The Code proved a hit with the jury vote.

LOST AND FOUND

Masterpiece Ecce Homo by Italian master Caravaggio to go on show at Madrid’s Prado museum

A LONG-LOST painting by Italian master Caravaggio that was on the verge of being sold for just €1,500 before an expert stepped in has gone on display at Madrid’s Prado museum.

While Croatia’s Baby Lasagna won the most amount of votes from the public, giving them a total score of 547, they were pipped to the post by Switzerland. Meanwhile the UK’s Olly Alexander finished in 18th place after receiving 46 points from the jury and zero from the public.

By Dilip Kuner

The work’s owners had put it up for sale at a Madrid auction house in April 2021, but experts felt something did not

EURO LETDOWN

No bull Blooming lovely

THOUSANDS flocked to Cordoba last weekend to enjoy the final days of the famous patio festival.

quite ring true about the picture’s provenance.

The painting, identified as Ecce Homo, had been attributed to an unnamed artist within the studio of 17th century Spanish painter Jose de Ribera, but there was hope it could turn out to be an original Caravaggio and therefore worth upwards of €50 million.

Incredible

The sale was put on hold while specialists from Spain and Italy examined it - and the incredible truth came out.

The Spanish government then gave the picture protected status, meaning it had to be kept

in Spain. The painting was later sold to an undisclosed buyer, who worked with the Prado to have it restored.

Spain’s Culture Ministry described the painting as ‘an example of the excellence and pictorial mastery of Italian naturalism’ that had a great influence on the Madrid school of painting in the 17th century.

The artwork had reportedly been hanging on the wall of a Madrid collector, Antonio Perez de Castro, founder of Madrid’s IADE design school, who had acquired it in the 70s before being put up for sale by his heirs.

It will go on display in the Prado from May 28 until October.

From May 2 to 12, 817,829 people visited the city to marvel at its emblematic patios. Some 52 battled it out for one of the competition’s titles and the hefty cash prizes. Each was judged by the Town Hall in many categories including ‘old architecture’, ‘modern architecture’ and ‘singular patio’.

This year, Tinte 9, Pastora 2 and Marroquies 6 respectively triumphed in these categories.

The over 100-year-old tradition began in 1921 to celebrate the start of spring. At the beginning of May each year, the locals decorate their houses, filling them with as many colourful flower pots as possible.

It was declared a festival of UNESCO Intangible Heritage in 2012, cementing Cordoba’s image as a cultural hub in Andalucia

TAKING CARE OF THE VULNERABLE

UK foundation that protects the finances of the elderly expands to Spain

BARELY a week passes by without a horrific report of an elderly person in Spain being deceived by a trusted carer or a supposedly-close friend.

Stories of bank accounts being cleared out are far too common, and non-Spanish speaking people living on their own are especially prone to be conned.

Now that is set to change with the news that a UK foundation that manages money for vulnerable people is expanding to Spain.

The Manchester-based Money Carer Foundation is a national social enterprise founded in 2009. The organisation provides money management services for elderly and vulnerable people, their carers, and the families who support them. In Britain, hundreds of law firms, local authorities, and care providers use the Money Carer technology engine and banking platform to assist them in better managing the finances of their clients.

Money Carer CEO Sean Tyrer (pictured inset) said: “We, in effect, act as the Corporate Appointee, authorised by the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) to help thousands of people in

the UK manage their welfare benefit entitlements.”

“Our service provides security and convenience, with access to

real-time transaction information.”

Money Carer works hand-in-hand with carers, family members, social workers and other professionals to serve their clients in the best way possible and, crucially- in their best interest.

The foundation is now set to launch in Spain, aiming to end some cases of vulnerable people being ripped off - often without even knowing it.

Money Carer will look to help elderly expats, people with learning difficulties, and those who have had or still have substance abuse issues.

“We take on a legal role and take responsibility for a person’s finances by managing their finances via a single facility, which includes receiving funds and paying bills,” said Sean. It recently held an Open Day in Alicante to attract expats to work for it on a part-time or job-share basis.

It has already signed up an experienced carer and clinical administrator from the Denia area of Alicante province.

Sean Tyrer said: “We are looking for people with experience who perhaps have been carers or worked for social services to join our innovative money management team.

“It will be a unique opportunity to do some fascinating and caring work!”

Sean told the Olive Press that Money Carer will look to roll out across Spain towards the end of the year.

“We want to lay down the right foundations, and I hope to meet with organisations that work with the elderly and contact the British Embassy to see how we can support and collaborate.”

In the UK, Money Carer partners with the DWP and over 100 local authorities to provide money management services.

The first priority in Spain will be to introduce a secure, biometric fingerprint-activated card. This card would allow a carer to manage and pay for things such as shopping and sundry items for the vulnerable person they look after,

but it would be monitored to ensure that everything is above board.

The fact that the card can only be used by the person whose fingerprint is linked to it when paying at the checkout adds cut-

ting-edge protection to both the carer and their client.

“A card like this will bring extra security to its owner and peace of mind that it is being used responsibly by somebody they trust,” said Sean.

Extensive information on how Money Carer works in Britain is available via their website, www.moneycarer.org.uk and there’s also an informative podcast for you to enjoy.

ON SHOW: Ecce Homo by Caravaggio

Mozzie warning

MORE than 100 cases of Malaria were detected in Andalucia last year, official figures have revealed.

The southernmost region is at risk of seeing a surge in such insect-borne diseases amid a rise in temperatures caused by global warming.

This year, for example, has seen mosquitos arrive months earlier than usual due to the ideal combination of humidity caused by recent rains and high temperatures.

Figures from the Junta show there were a total of 101 registered malaria cases in 2023, plus 47 dengue fever infections and 76 cases of leishmaniasis.

There were also multiple cases of West Nile virus last year - while at least two have been confirmed so far this year.

The diseases killed three people in 2023; A man, 81, who died of leishmanasis, a woman, 68, who died of malaria and an 84-year-old woman who died of West Nile fever. In response, Andalucia has launched a special ‘surveillance and control’ team - dubbed PEVA - that will advise on how to stop such diseases from growing.

Head researcher at the Doñana Biological Station, Jordi Figuerola, said the diseases are growing.

He said: “In Catalunya there were two recent cases of dengue in people who had not travelled.

“And right now, South America is experiencing a greater number of dengue cases and it is more than foreseeable that they will reach our country.”

A SPANISH centenarian has gone viral after a news clip of him was shown working out at his local gym.

The slogan on Jose Luis Ortega’s t-shirt has proven to be apt - ‘100 years inspiring those around me’ after he was shared thousands of times on TikTok.

The former physiotherapist has been exercising in the gym daily since 1935, when he was 11.

100 not out

The centenarian follows a regular routine of working out on the gym machines, before swimming in the pool for halfan-hour.

And his advice to people who want to live a long, fit life is simple: “Do something, do exercise. Don’t smoke and have a little glass of red wine with lunch.”

Nolotil toddler

A BRITISH expat has been left ‘livid’ after her toddler was given ‘lethal’ Nolotil painkiller.

When Hannah Pearson’s three-year-old daughter, Amalie (pictured with mum), experienced high temperatures, the 39-year-old and her husband, James, 38, took her to a private doctor in Golf del Sur in Tenerife, who diagnosed Amalie with Scarlet Fever.

EXCLUSIVE

By Yzabelle Bostyn

a nasty surprise. Her daughter had been prescribed Nolotil.

KILL THE DRUG

But when Hannah returned from work, she got

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As a former nurse and owner of a care business, Hannah knew of the risks this ‘deadly’ drug can have, including sepsis, organ failure and even death.

“It was absolutely terrifying,” she told the Olive Press.

“I was livid and shocked that she had been prescribed Nolotil when she was doing fine on Ibuprofen and Calpol. It was gobsmacking.”

Luckily, James had not followed the doctor’s recommended dose and only gave his daughter a ‘drop’ to see if she responded well. Amalie had been prescribed Metagial, a droplet form of Nolotil intended for children.

Aware of the danger of the drug, the couple did not administer any more doses, despite the doctor’s recommendation of a 0.4mg dose every eight hours for five days.

“I knew because I have medical knowledge, but if I didn’t it could have wiped her out,” said Hannah.

That night, the couple ‘barely slept’, keeping a ‘close eye’ on Amalie over fears they had ‘done harm to their child’. Thankfully, the little girl has not presented any side effects.

Nolotil, whose active ingredient is metamizole, is known to provoke extreme adverse

side effects in northern europeans, including low white blood cell count, sepsis, organ failure, gangrene and even death.

CLOT PERIL

PHARMACEUTICAL company AstraZeneca has admitted for the first time that its Covid-19 vaccine can cause rare side effects such as thrombosis.

The admission came in court documents that were submitted to the High Court in the United Kingdom as part of a class-action lawsuit. AstraZeneca accepted that its Covid vaccine ‘can, in very rare cases, cause TTS’, which stands for Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome. This causes people to have blood clots as well as a low blood platelet count. If it loses the legal action, the company is facing paying out damages of up to £100 million to victims and relatives of people who had complications, with a total of 51 cases lodged at the High Court.

A SPANISH health agency has warned that under-10s should not eat swordfish, bluefin tuna and dogfish. Despite being a good source of protein, essential nutrients and Omega-3 fatty acids, these fish can be risky to the health of the under-10s and pregnant women given their high mercury content.

As predators, these fish are prone to high levels of the metal as it concentrates up the food chain.

The pollutant make its way into lakes, rivers and seas, due to industrial activity.

FISH BLUES

Once eaten by humans, it can affect the nervous system, which is a particular issue for the under-10s, as well as for unborn babies.

The Aesan health agency recommends that adults don’t exceed more than three or four servings of fish that can contain mercury a week. Children aged between 10 and 14 should be limited to 120 grams a month.

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Scan

BANK WARS TAKING ITS TOLL

THE Spanish government has moved to kibosh a proposed €12.2 billion hostile takeover of Banco Sabadell by BBVA.

It was reasoned that such a merger could create uncertainty in the financial market.

BBVA had decided to bypass Sabadell’s board and woo its shareholders directly after its initial takeover bid was rejected.

While the Basque bank claimed the deal would save €850 million annually and allow the new entity to compete better in Europe, the government did not agree.

THE number of people registering as jobless in Spain fell by 2.22% in April from a month earlier according to the Labour Ministry.

Figures showed a total of 2.67 million people out of work - a fall of 60,503 - the lowest number since September 2008.

Compared with the same month last year, unemployment decreased by 4.4%.

The bulk of new jobs came in the services sector including hospitality and tourism, with unemployment falling by 42,067.

The number of jobless under 25 years of age fell by 8.26% in April compared to March, by 16,925 to a total of 188,082 people.

Ahead in the cloud

Microsoft reported by host of startups over restrictive practices

TECH giant Microsoft has been hit with a complaint filed by Spanish start-up companies about its dominance in the increasing cloud computing sector.

The complaint has been filed with the CNMC monopoly watchdog.

The Spanish Startup Association, which represents more than 700 start-ups, has produced a list of allegedly anti-competitive practices by Microsoft in recent years.

Microsoft is second in the cloud computing sectorbehind Amazon - but is ex -

By Alex Trelinski

pected to close the gap rapidly as a clutch of generative AI features powered by OpenAI’s technology attract business users.

“Microsoft has

not only taken advantage of the dominant position in the markets of Operating Systems (Windows) and traditional productivity software like Microsoft Office to force the use of its Azure cloud, but

Off the hook

A SECOND case against Colombian singer Shakira has been shelved six months after she reached a deal with prosecutors over a tax fraud.

In November she agreed to pay a fine of €7.8 million after reaching a deal with the prosecutor in Barcelona as well as the Tax Agency for having evaded €14.5 million tax between 2012 and 2014. Having long denied the allegations, she agreed to the sanction in order to avoid any possibility of jail time.

But her tax woes were not over, with prosecutors launching a second case claiming she had avoided another €6.6 million in

BARRIERS: Start-ups can’t compete

they have also imposed artificial barriers that limit the ability of start-ups to compete fairly and competitively,” the Spanish complaint says.

“These practices include barriers to data portability

tax in 2018. Now the prosecutor has found that there is insufficient evidence against her for criminal action.

Devoted to health

Hospiten renovates its brand image. The network that holds us together

HOSPITEN is embarking on a new stage, one that reflects the company’s ongoing internal transformation. It’s a fresh discussion that lets us focus on the future while remaining true to our core.

The new discourse is based on the brand idea of ‘a lifetime devoted to the advancement of health’. Celebrating the over 50 years that we’ve spent ‘building ecosystems of wellbeing around people’, is our new purpose, where talent and technology join forces to serve a greater goal.

Hospiten’s vice-president and CEO Pedro Luis Cobiella Beauvais explains: “This new

image reflects our commitment to empower people and help them own their own health. Without forgetting our core and the family spirit that forged the company’s creation and that remains alive today. A culture and a way of doing things that responds to the values that steer the way for all of us here at Hospiten.”

“This strategy is reflected in a more mature identity that showcases the company’s technological profile, aligning the brand with the expansion and progress that we’re experiencing”, said Pedro Luis Cobiella Beauvais.

The new identity and strategic positioning were developed together with FutureBrand, a brand-expert company belonging to the McCann Group—the same one that repositioned the Hospiten brand in 2011. At Hospiten over

or contractual conditions that restrict competition in software licenses, preventing the free choice of providers of these services, reducing the capacity for choice and flexibility that start-ups need to be able to be resilient, innovate and grow,” the document added.

The association has called on the CNMC to launch an investigation and to take urgent measures to ensure a competitive market.

Start-up association president, Carlos Mateo, said: “We believe that all companies should be able to compete in an environment of equality so as not to be left behind either as customers or as companies providing this technology.”

The European Commission and the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority are also probing the cloud computing sector and Microsoft’s position within it.

CALLS for the AP-7 toll road on the Costa del Sol to be made free have been rejected.

The main opposition Partido Popular (PP), had asked for charges to be removed on the two paid-for stretches between Fuengirola and Estepona, and Estepona and Guadiaro, due to heavy congestion on the free A-7.

But the Ministry of Transport responded that none of the contractual reasons for the tolls to be lifted, such as a state of war or the destruction of part of the road, were in effect. The president of the PP in Malaga, Patricia Navarro, said that it was ‘unfair and discriminatory’ that Malaga has only one motorway, as well as the AP-7 being the most expensive per kilometre in Spain.

SPAIN’S gambling regulator has dished out fines totalling over €81 million to 17 online betting websites in the second half of 2023. The DGOJ ordered 10 of them to be shut down.

The biggest penalty of €35 million and a four-year closure was given to the National Organisation of the Spanish and European Disabled (ONDEE). They had been accused of unfair competition by the ONCE charity by selling lottery tickets and even masquerading as it.

5,000 professionals are hard at work every day in five countries, providing different perspectives on how to tackle health. All of them, plus the communities they impact on, are part of the medical, social and human fabric.

Under the concept of the ‘network that holds us together’, we at Hospiten want to emphasise the deep-reaching transformation we are currently undergoing.

This transformation will not only be reflected in an update of our visual identity; it will also involve a deeper remodelling, where we will reach for closer dialogue with people, teams and society.

The new identity symbolises the weaving of a fabric of wellbeing that leverages the company’s experience, maturity and seniority, a fabric where each person stands at the centre of their own stage.

For more information visit www.hospiten.com or email estepona@hospiten.com or call +34 952 76 06 00 to see how we can help you

ABOUT HOSPITEN

Hospiten is an interna- tional healthcare network committed to providing top-quality service. Hospiten has over 50 years’ experience and 20 private medical centres and hospi- tals in Spain, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Jamaica and Panama, plus over 150 outpatient treatment cen- tres under the Clinic Assist brand.

Founded by Dr Pedro Luis Cobiella, Hospiten cares for more than two million patients around the world each year and has over 5,000 employees.

Mass ejection

AT least 30 drunken passengers were kicked off an Easyjet flight from Bristol to Malaga after they threatened to ‘urinate on the floor’ if they couldn’t use the toilet during take-off.

Served cold

A NEIGHBOUR unhappy with a new swanky restaurant rooftop terrace across from her apartment in Sevilla has taken to playing loud porn noises to put diners off from eating there.

Skinny dip

BEACHGOERS at a popular Menorca resort were banned from swimming after a seven-foot blue shark was spotted cruising close to shore. The ban has since been lifted.

Southern lotharios

The

most sexually active provinces

in Spain - and where you’re most likely to be cheated on

A SURVEY has shown that Cadiz is the top province for Latin lotharios.

Randy residents of the province are top of the Spanish charts when it comes to the number of times they have sex - an average of 9.64 times a month.

By Yzabelle Bostyn

On the other hand, people in passionless Palencia in Castilla y Leon are the least horny, doing the deed just six times a month. The study by sex toy company,

Diversual.com also revealed that residents of Murcia (8.76), Malaga (8.54), Almeria (8.40),

Love takes flight

A SINGLE woman has found love by flying to Spain from London to meet a man she hooked up with on a dating app. Celeste Hartley, 28, said dating had become ‘so bad’ in the UK capital, that she decided to set her sights further. Celeste got an app hook-

up from Spain and the pair 'hit it off' immediately on the phone. She then got a €300 Malaga flight to meet the 28-year-old Spaniard for a first date. She said: “Regardless of whatever happens, it is worth it for how exciting it has been.”

and Granada (8.15) were all above average in the sex charts.

At the other end of the scale, big city life would appear not to be conducive to bedroom gymnastics. People in Barcelona (6.97), Madrid (6.96),

Navarra (6.95) and Zaragoza (6.73) were all below average when it came to bonking.

And for illicit sex, head to Tarragona, which was revealed as the most unfaithful area in Spain, with an incredible 40% of respondents admitting they had had ‘relations’ with someone who was not their normal partner.

But for those seeking a faithful other half, Palencia is the most up-standing region, with just 16% admitting to cheating. When it comes to finding the right partner, 65% said it is easier now than in years gone by, with 54% saying the best option is dating apps.

Ready to ruck

MADRID will be hosting a treat for Rugby Union sevens fans with the HSBC SVNS Series Grand Finals from May 31 to June 2. The top eight teams in the women’s and men’s league competitions have qualified for Series championship glory at the upcoming Grand Final event in Madrid from May 31 to June 2. Unfortunately for local fans both Spain’s Men and Women’s teams failed to reach the tournament. Argentina’s men will be eager to back up their SVNS Series league title on the Serie’ final stop, and the same goes for women’s league title-holders New Zealand. The All Blacks have also made it through alongside Great Britain, France, USA, Canada, Fiji and Ireland. Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, France, the USA, Canada, Ireland and Fiji make up the eight for the female competition.