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CHIEF: Fabian Picardo
TaXing times ANY products bought online or across the border now cost 10% more in a historic measure announced by the Chief Minister. The flat rate applies to nearly all products bought outside Gibraltar. The main exceptions from this new tax will be food, medicine, sanitary products, books, children’s clothes and objects worth less than £25. The import duty, introduced on July 2, is part of a package of measures to push Gibraltarians to ‘buy local’. Although this could be another unpopular decision, a tax on shopping abroad has long been a demand of small businesses looking to protect their trade. “People are reminded that they should declare their dutiable goods to HM Customs Officers as they cross the border,” said the Chief Minister Fabian Picardo. “This is not a voluntary duty but something that will be strictly enforced. “In respect of fuel, building materials, tobacco and wines, spirits and malts, and disposable single use products such as plastic plates and straws the existing regime will continue.”
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New appeal for witnesses in the ‘Montegriffo mystery’ murder, as police say killer most likely knew him well
LOVED: Artist Michael Montegriffo (right) pictured with a family member, was brutally battered in Prince Edward’s Road HE was hit over the head four times by someone he probably knew well. In what is now thought to be a long-running dispute, Michael Montegriffo, 58, was left on the pavement outside
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his house with blood seeping from a series of fatal wounds. Now two years since the artist’s tragic death, Gibraltar police are making a fresh appeal into his murder. Police hope to find fresh witnesses on the unsolved murder that took place in broad daylight at Prince Edward’s Road by Gavino’s Dwelling at 11.17am on July 7, 2018. Montegriffo, a musician, who
had lived in France and England for many years, was treated at the scene by paramedics, but died soon after arriving at St Bernard’s Hospital. On the second anniversary of his death, the RGP has reminded the public there is a £25,000 reward for information leading to the capture of his killer. After consulting international forensic experts detectives believe the argument was with someone Montegriffo knew. The RGP believes it was over a problem which had been going on for some time but it was not a premeditated attack. “We believe this person was in the neighbourhood for a legitimate purpose,” said Chief Inspector Roy Perez. “They were either living there,
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visiting another person or resided there. We believe this person may have acted impulsively after having lost control of his or her temper. “This type of anger, hostility and impulsivity would carry over into his or her other relationships and conflicts.” The RGP noted that the suspected murderer may have changed their appearance or lifestyle after the incident. “We feel very, very strongly that someone out there knows something about what happened but this person is unwilling or scared to talk,” said Insp Brian Finlayson. Montegriffo left behind a daughter and son, both of whom who are very aggrieved by their father’s death. His daughter told the Olive Press he was ‘a great dad’ and
Tel: 952 147 834 See page 9 & 10 TM
the whole family ‘wants to get closure on the matter’. Maurice Montegriffo, the victim’s father, also made an emotional appeal to the public for information where he asked for ‘closure’ on his son’s death. An old school friend of Montegriffo, lawyer Charles Gomez, said: “It remains a complete mystery. “How he was killed in broad daylight on a bright sunny summer day and the police have found nothing, it is no wonder the family and friends are distraught.” He added: “He was a bright guy, well above average, and I had got to know him better since he came back to live from France.” The RGP are also concerned that this person could strike again and murder someone else in a similar situation. “We urge anyone who may have any information related to the case to come forward,” said an RGP spokesman. Anyone with any information they believe might be of assistance is requested to contact New Mole House on 200 72500.
CRIME
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Underage sex A MAN who admitted to three charges of sexual activity with a 13-yearold girl when he was 16 in 2017 could be sentenced in late July.
Caught red-handed TWO local men in their twenties have been arrested for burglary of a small amount of cash and other objects from premises at Wellington Front.
Murdered in UK PAUL Wells, who worked and lived in Gibraltar for years, was found dead in Somerset, England, with a man detained for his murder.
were seized at homes in Mid-Harbours, Chilton Court and the Upper Town of Gibraltar. The arrests follow the seizure of €300,000 and valuable possessions during drug raids carried out in Spain recently. “The investigation continues and is part of an ongoing cross-border law enforcement cooperation in the fight against organized crime and money laundering,” said the RGP. “Earlier this week there was a crime clampdown in the Campo area carried out by the Guardia Civil against money laundering, with suspected local ties.”
Paper trail 4
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In denial
DEFENDANTS in a ‘landmark’ case against a British-run financial firm have denied all knowled ge of a scam that lost €35 million of its clients pension investment. Instead they blamed the boss of Continen tal Wealth Management (CWM) Darren Kirby (above) for destroying the hopes and dreams of 750 expats around Spain. In a tense hearing Court three former at Denia employees denied they put their clients knowingly funds into ‘high risk’ investme The trio, Anthony nts. Downs, Neil Hathaway Stogsdill, are and Dean fraud, disloyal accused of administration and falsifying commercial documents.
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SPAIN’S accused prime minister Catalan has Puigdemont leader sion’ after of causing Carles ‘confusigning of independence. a declaration Mariano clarify if Rajoy demanded he had he independence really day’s nail followingdeclared Catalan biting address Tuesparliament. to the If so, Rajoy insisted trigger he Article constitution 155 of could Spain’s take direct to allow Madrid control of to “There Catalunya. is an urgent put an end need to Catalunya to the situation is going through that - to Continues
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Expats millionslose
in CONFUSION life savings reigns over should foot through who hotels hit the bill for Mallorca by the collapse failed line Monarch. investment of airBalearic scheme €10millionhotels are facing a lapse that bill over the colrepatriationsaw the emergency EXCLUSIVE of over back to By Joe 110,000 Duggan Palma. the UK, many from Administrator HUNDREDS Olive Press KPMG ish expats of Brit‘the debt told the Monarch to retrieve are battling to hoteliers owed by as an unsecured sions after their will rank the defunct penclaim’ against losing up £20 million “They will airline. to pension in a failed the joint have to file a scheme. investment the moneyadministratorsclaim to OFF TO Spanish-based for all they are OZ: a spokesman. owed,” said and (above) Boss Kirby cial advisory “It has finanteam at tinental firm Con- March charity (yet) hownot been determined agement Wealth Manbash available much money to creditors.” will be last (CWM) folded Many month
SPECIALIZING IN: CRIMINAL LAW CIVIL LAW BANKING (FLOOR CLAUSE) FAMILY LAW
whose by hasboss Darren Kir- It is believed moved now allegedly 300 of to Australia. at least One CWM’s Costa-del-Sol- clients have based 900 pension had their Olive expat told pots Press the mated, with deci£59,000 he sunk shocked victims CWM, to later through cover the value had lostonly realising dis- to end £39,000 he investments of their ain on up back in his pension when meted dramatically. benefits.” Brithad plum“I have sent a statement. trustees However, praise for nothing “I couldn’t close to a source [Trafalgar but Tony Barnett have lost believe the case thousandsit. I sisted: ‘There MD] pounds,” in- Stewart and are still revealed of many customers mentum Davies [Movictim, the are happy asking tive]. Theychef execumain anonymous. to re- pension with who “The adviser portfolio.’ their magnificent have been A ing to ing me, kept tell- taxn d a l u c i a in tryspecialist b a s e d money.”recoup people’s teed, it ‘This is guaranBrooks, can’t go certain a leadingAngie The Olive below a pert of them level’.” ing many obliterat- transferred Untitled-1.pdf derstands Press erationon pension ex- possible had His money, and unBrits’ life heartbroken it is vate 1 16/06/2017 schemes libthat of the founder pri- others UK their savings. legal highly through15:36 pensions France,across and may be taken action of Pension the company, high-risk was Spain and Life, has parties put into a fight now launched againstby some investor ‘professional to help CWM, tims’ money get has been only’ assets, back. vicclaimed. it She is working side pension alongTrafalgar trustees International and sions.Momentum Pen- based “People out of headquarare terribly ters in Alicante, distressed,” executives. and its based Brooks Granada- Both the Olive Press. told and the office in Javea lost large “They the recently website amountshave When their have shut. of ings.” retirement the Olive sav- spoke to Press She added: boss Kirby ‘definitively’ these people “Some he of responsibility denied are going crash. over world,” “I have lost the my A closehe said. associate Kirby’s Find out told of Press more on formerthe Olive staff page XX 20 set’. were all ‘veryCWM up“It is still quite Ave de Gabriel for them, Roca 4, Palma working and they raw next,” he out what to are do said.
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2019 See Property SPAIN’S PP party cious plans Magazine has set for back inside out control a power grab audafrom to take and theValencia a u t o n other regions.o m o u s Leader Casado Pablo announced commitment his strengthen to the central government’s to the national role in the He insisted elections run up that such in a fortnight. prevent in taxes. corruption and a move would lead to It comes a drop off the as the party threat from attempts Party, whose EXCLUSIVE an insurgentto see By Joshua autonomous leader has described Vox Parfitt cer of Spain’. parliaments as the the THE Under the Voted REuse ‘canbeleaguered REduce plan, the se resources wealth expat REcycle PP wants paper managementboss of in Spain delegations for regional allegedly to increaa failed Govt in exile and government transfer million lost expats company which of power paralyse any court. has ignored more than €20 Voted to the regions.further a summons expat Darren paper in Spain to REuse Kirby, Continental REduce Supremacy of REcycle Casado Confusion (CWM), Wealth Alicante-based reigns insisted Spain being court on failed to turn Management the move up at Denia administered tively’. would AccordingMarch 26. see was ‘more effecThe election due to Olive Press party would hopeful sources business to turn up, alongside Who’s he partners, carry out stated that view of The paying former us? a sweeping his who case involves who did turn operate how the regional a trio of up. looking re- moneylost substantial ty.’ investors, at ‘efficiencyauthorities amounts Spain’s 2017. when the company and equiShould quasi-federal have of ‘autonomous Kirby folded of legged it Three Lions in the constitution states’political system pub llowingallegedly fled ter Pedro ning to the collapse,to Australia in 1978. was added to HOW foSanchez, WE TOLD Prime Ministhe constitution, “DarrenAlicante last finally returThree Lion whose pub s IT: Our plan, insisting strongly party drafted which he has been year. England.” 2017 reports sent a didn’t opposed ‘tooth and the will now The the ways,” have sign for, so Burofax how Olive Press nail’ thePSOE would defend nal self-government. exclusively principal CWM a sourceto pursue himthe court abruptly “A judge losing of regioformer in other revealed said. it’s under is dealing vings inhundreds of folded in 2017, “It was member of staff. with this a prestigious legal review,” “We understand The firm,the process. expats’ life day and sa- said, they just he added. Marriott which was shut place but he is currently asking based out to ten’ Hotel, in Denia, not to the door,” one Victims of telesales in ttered she had the asked had raised be named. fears about to sign around staff and clients‘eight tions blank dealing Europe, being revealedsca- vestedand their pensions instruca large in high-risk commissions.assets being inNO SHOW: which paid One pensioner Darren ta Blanca res. “It based Kirby is a blank on the told the lost €210,000 wherever, CosOlive Press whenever.cheque to €470,000 “It is invest he investing very worrying despiteafter transferring low to as they clients’ “I wasmedium risk stating he had risky attitude. asked, a funds investments money in were blank form. ‘Can just becauseas well as highly We will you sign ls.’ I did gher commissions.” fill in the this they paiddubious that trusting in my best He added detaithe hiinterests,” they would “They investors that losses act he said. sustained for me should have been verable should however, and they by looking their own led to as the investments be recowere out what they nests. To just feathering linked perform, or that faiwent bust, Lawyer were doing.”me they knew See pages When to life insurance were 26-29 Lawbird Antonio Flores, hold of the Olive Presspolicies. of victims,is representing whose firm denied Kirby in Octoberfinally got all responsibility. ment sheetssaid signing a number my world,” 2017, blank investwas “This he said. “I have he Tel. (+34) negates ‘very worrying’. lost financial 96 649 18 Are you the info@hispaniahomes.es advisory very essence 29 member? a victim services,”said of www.hispaniahomes.co.uk or former the case? Do you know FloContact more staff newsdesk@theolivepress.es the Olive about HOW TO Press at SELL YOUR
Blanca wealth firm rakes businesses in €1million financial while trio of British for ruin, cancer claimantsher and depression battle
USIVE EXCL
POLICE in Spanish town of Castropol were investigating who could have put Gibraltar and LGBTQ Pride flags at the house of Vox secretary-general, Javier Ortega Smith.
‘We’re on to you!’
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Red flag
ONE of the top La Linea drug barons has been arrested after being released from a Granada prison on money laundering charges. The Guardia Civil were waiting for Antonio Tejon, leader of Los Castañas (The Chestnuts) clan, as he left the Albolote jail. He is accused of creating shell companies with combined bank accounts totalling €2 million with which he laundered drug cash. Los Castañas are alleged to have carried out transfers between accounts with the aim of making it difficult to trace their origin. Guardia Civil units searched four addresses in Los Barrios, Sevilla and Algeciras in connection with the case. The criminal gang are accused of having smuggled in tonnes of hashish during their time in operation. Tejon has been released on bail of €12,000, suggesting the court case against him was not as strong as first thought.
A MONEY laundering sting has led to the arrest of one couple and the seizure of €200,000 cash. The cross-border investigation has also seized a luxury yacht berthed in Gibraltar and pricey electronic valuables. “The two suspects, a husband and wife couple are believed to have strong links with organised crime groups in Spain,” said the RGP. “These groups have no boundaries or borders and we will pursue them tirelessly and also those who facilitate money laundering of the proceeds of crime.” Last week, six raids on addresses in Gibraltar were carried out by the RGP money laundering investigation unit as 38 people were arrested in Spain. Financial documents, electronic devices and luxury items
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me they doing.” knew what they were He added: “I believe the investments some of rying’. without were “This negates that is themy knowledge. I made case because think of the service the very essence recall signing I offer,” said they are meant investments sheets for do not all the Flores. “It to cheque An email, I had.” is a blank whenever.to invest wherever, Press, showsseen by the has gone CWM asking Olive down by “If standard ent to need compensation half and a cliand return dealingsign very worrying. practice, this back on a blank instruction. to get itI “Signing is track. Another “But some blank is tryingBritish expat, 55, documents have lost people who would be €200,000, to recover around thing and everyseen as irregular ers ‘have said some pensionhave enoughdon’t lost everything’. in a court of “My paper to live on. work problem law. The One rehas been tired victim altered, that I sent these firms with was changed my risk has €50,000 only is that level PENSION they from ‘medium’ ‘high’ and left from €480,000.” all into tions have my dealing instrucOUTRAGE vestingwere Andalucia-based in highly risky investments repeatedly been photocopied lawyer without ing assets for buying and Flores, Antonio the clisellI didn’t ents knowing.” he said. whose authorise,” firm He claimed Lawbird “I still have are that representsome losses sustained and I am ing some still youngmoney left by get compensation, CWM enough to victims, would investors but my fund vestmentsaid signing blank hopefully be sheets was as the investments inrecoverable ‘very worto perform, or went that failed linked to bust, were Pension life insurance policies. trustees and Trafalgar Momentum are now ing to attemptlosses. recoup CMW clients’ The Olive unable to Press has so far registered discover if CWMbeen was ment adviceto provide investcial financial with Spain’s offiregulator CNMV. Opinion Page 6
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Expats millionswho lost rage at ‘unauthorised’ deals involving ‘worrying’ signing of blank sheets
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CATALUNYA’S leader has beleaguered vowed to from abroad. fight on It came after Carles mont handed PuigdeBelgian himself police when in to pean arrest warrant a Eurosued. was isHe and four other are accused politicians on charges bellion, of republic sedition, misuse funds, of and breach disobedience of trust. A judge up to twoin Belgium now they will weeks to decidehas if to Spain. extradite the group
BRITISH expats who to €20 million Fight lost sion advisory in a failed up Given the firm believe pensignatures whole extradition process tocopied may have been their days, it can take up ments. onto investment phodocuto run means he mayto 60 Around have campaignhis entire election in Spain, 300 Brits, most are battling living European for the Catalan their funds to retrieve Democratic after Alicante-based from Belgium. firm Continental Party His party agement Wealth wants him for continued tember, (CWM) folded Manto the regional leadershipfight Olive as first reportedin Septhe December parliament of Boss Press a month ago. in the Puigdemont 21 elections. in tralia Darren Kirby left following for Ausdenied fled to Brussels the company’s the clo sure he had tice but main Javea of fices. that he to avoid jusofthe Spanish left because Victims, preparing government Spain, aswho are spread was across well as in sion and a ‘wave of oppreslorca, Portugal, Ibiza, Malseparatists. violence’ against Turkey, France fear illegal and “I’m absolutely after being asked to practices that the convinced dealing instructions. sign blank a harsh state was preparing Their pension for whichwave of repression pots were invested in high-risk then been held we would have which promised responsible,” all commissions. said yesterday. to pay outassets he large “The Spanish One 69-year-old mitting state is told the a brutal compensioner if we don’t repression… €210,000 Olive Press he together, battle repression lost €470,000 after transferring may win the Spanish had a ‘low despite stating this state to medium In a show fight.” he to risk’ attitude aversion BOSS: of support deposed “I was asked, to investment. Kirby now president, to the 200 Catalan Australia in blank form. ‘Can you sign around this We will dence pro-independetails.’ he said. fill Brusselsmayors travelled would actI did that trustingin the “They to should in my best they a rally. on Tuesday to out for me have been looking interests,” stage but they feathering their own were just nests. To
A PALMA thief months in jail foris facing 18 leg of ham. stealing a Prosecutors the lengthy are requesting term for the eight co Jotas' kilogram leg oftaking ¡ jamon 'Cinin the capital. from a shop The Iberico €685, and ham is valued has yet to at ered. be recov-
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PENSION OUTRAGE
SPAIN’S accused prime Catalan minister Puigdemont has leader sion’ after of Carles signingcausing ‘confuof independence. a declaration Mariano Rajoy clarify if he had demanded independence really he day’s nail bitingfollowingdeclared Catalan address TuesIf so, parliament. to the trigger Rajoy insisted Article constitution 155 he could take direct to allow of Spain’s Madrid control “There of Catalunya. to put an is an urgent end to Catalunya need the is going situation to through that - to
SEE PAGE
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Expats millionslose
CONFUSION in life savings should reigns hotels foot the bill over who through hit by for Mallorca line Monarch. the collapse failed investment Balearic of air€10millionhotels scheme are lapse bill over facing that saw repatriation the col-a the emergency back EXCLUSIVE of Palma.to the UK,over 110,000 By Joe many Duggan Administrator from Olive HUNDREDS KPMG Press Monarch ish expats ‘the debt told the of Britto hoteliers as an owed to retrieve are battling unsecured by the defunct will rank sions claim’ after their pen“They airline. against £20 million will have losing the joint pension up to to file in a failed a claim the moneyadministrators to scheme. investment a spokesman. they are owed,”for all Spanish-based OFF “It has TO OZ: said cial (yet) hownot been advisory finan- and (above) Boss Kirby tinental determined much available firm money team agement Wealth Con- March charity to creditors.” at will be last (CWM) Manbash
folded ing month obliteratBrits’many heartbroken life savings.
SPECIALIZING CRIMINAL IN: LAW CIVIL LAW BANKING (FLOOR CLAUSE) FAMILY LAW
whose by hasboss Darren now moved Kir- It is allegedly to Australia. One 300 believed at least based Costa-del-Sol- clientsof CWM’s Olive expat pension have had 900 £59,000Press told the mated, their pots he sunk CWM, shocked with decithrough cover only realising had victims to later the value his lost £39,000 he investments dis- to of their ain end up sent apension when meted back had plumtrustees However, statement. on dramatically. “I couldn’t “I havebenefits.”in Brithave close believe a source praise for nothing lost thousands pounds,” it. I sisted: to the [Trafalgar Tony but victim, revealed of many ‘There case in- Stewart Barnett MD] are still mentum asking main customers the are happy Davies and “The anonymous.to re- pension [Mowith who tive]. Theychef adviser ing me, portfolio.’ A their magnificent haveexecu‘This kept tell- taxn d a l u c teed, Many ing to ia-b been it can’t is guaranspecialist certain of them transferred a s e d money.” Brooks, recoup in trygo below level’.” vate people’s had His money, a pert on a leadingAngie The Olive through UK their pri- others eration pension ex- derstands pensions France,acrossand that Press the company, schemes lib- possible of the unit is high-risk was Spain and Life,founder and may legal highly put into of investor ‘professional be taken a fighthas now Pension parties action has been only’ tims’ to helplaunched againstby some assets, money get claimed. CWM, it She is back. vicworking side pension alongTrafalgar trustees and International sions.Momentum “People Pen- based distressed,” are ters in out of headquarterribly executives. based Alicante, Olive Brooks Granada- Both and its told the office lost Press. “They the and the in Javea their large amountshave recently website ings.” retirement shut. have of When She sav- spoke the Olive to boss these added: “Some ‘definitively’ Press people Kirby of responsibility he are going denied crash. world,” “I have over the A closehe said. lost my Kirby’s associate told Press XX 20 of formerthe Olive staff set’. were all CWM Ave de Gabriel ‘very “It is upRoca 4, Palma still for them, working andquite raw they out what next,” are he said. to do
A WELL-KNOWN NOTORIOUS: signer has expat fashion Disgraced businesswoman been accused to €1million of receiving deaccused Jody Smart from an unlicensed EXCLUSIVE up Blanca financial in financial GUIDE By Joshua Costa scandal advisory company. Companies three British Parfitt in Jody Smart’s given the money huge sums inal charges claimants are seeking ‘without falling by defunct name were Worse, Wealth Management accounting for aggravated fraud,crim- after CWM’s Continental into it comes years’ before fake (CWM) in September ens of victims as it emerges losses’. organisation.and belonging to a 2017 collapse criminal left him with just €22,000 left destitute that doz- The left hundreds its high-profile the two less by investments complaints the and collapse from initial €20million of investors an estimated concern bungled of more Smart and Denia-based firm arepenni- transactions, (approx out of pocket, her former suing pension house Davison €900,000). than ₤800,000 unpaid vealed. Kirby. partner Darren it can be reinvestments loans and A total of In the first ants over €1million that lost the failed sion just was diagnosed with €999,435 case to reach claim- turning weeks after the depresto her fashion was paid the courts, One of the victims, between them. collapse, before to alcohol SL and propertylabel Jody Bell Mark ically died, aged 59, in Davison, trag- ing type-2 diabetes, abuse and developpany Mercurio holding comaccording shot July this Conpro SL to a video tween 2015 year His just before his death. bebody, ing to bank and 2017, accordsores, had covered with lesions to the Olive statements shown a week in lain undiscovered for and In documents the mid-summer Brit Jody, Press. up to home in Sanet. heat at his Press, CWM seen by a €144,00043, was also paid “Mark died the Olive commission was paid €3,391,873 as a result telling a court salary - despite done to him,” of what had bonds and for selling of know what that she ‘did not been low claimant, Timothy Benjamin, prus-based investments insurance sole director it meant to be a by two Cy“By the end told the Olive Press. a felfinancial of company’ October was only involved firms, between and 2015 and to appear.” he didn’t want the A January in ‘marketdaylight September ing and PR’. Benjamin, 2019 statement 2017. Spain’s financial In a series after he lost67, likewise felt ‘ashamed’ of shocking from insurance regulator larations his €250,000 decsion, reinvested given to private penbreach of bonds were revealed Court of Instruction Denia’s by CWM investments, sold in into ‘risky’ What is the law. has emerged No.3 it In his officialvia QROPS. funded a certain is that ny could ill that the compatestimony court how ‘lavish lifestyle’this money afford to pay he told the players Kirby these (€375,000he had transferred ₤325,000 and Smart, for its key in a relationship sale to CWMapprox) from a to March together who were investing it on the basis the property 2017, according from 2011 staff members. firm was But court in a villa in Monte Pego. to former papers revealed went directly to the bank ₤200,000 account of Continues on Page 2 Tel. (+34) 96 UK BASED 649 18 29 info@hispaniahomes.es www.hispaniahomes.co.uk Ave de Gabriel
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Wickedness In what is Spain’s VENDORS largest GUIDE legal scrutiny of Want to sell ABSENT: Kirby financial scamsBritish-run your property? to date, Jodie (right) and(above) was a no-show at the trio were grilled court, 96 649 1883 a previous Olive falsifying documen about Press front page miss-selling toxic ts and Another is widow Karen ” Smart has invest- O’Hagan ments. , who lost previously de(Personal contacts of her RBS pension.€72,000 nied ever dealing A total of 17 claimant ents or having with clibrought the private s have It came after she on page 6) anything was told to do with prose- by CWM cution as Denia the running staff that to bring formercourt seeks ring the money wastransfer- CWM other than promotioof boss Kir- way the only online and by and sole director to protect in the media. n Jody young children it for her two Smart to justice. if she passed Your away. Kirby failed to expat attend the voice in hearing on February COSTA BLANCA SOUTH Spain 24, and could now face Shame Meanwhile, Smart arrest. was Angela able Brooks, to delay attendin g the hear- ing the private who is leading until next month prosecution, damage to a restaura due to told the Olive Press the case owns during Storm nt she will set a major ‘precede nt’ Gloria. across Europe. Court transcrip the Olive Press ts passed to “It’s a disgrace that the ex-employeesreveal how taken a Spanish lawyer it’s in accusations put denied all Spain and a Spanish criminal judge to recognis The defendan to them. e the ts claimed wickedness of that former boss actions taken responsible for Kirby was by all parties concerned. moving “There is the funds from low-risk to this. It is no precedent for high-risk. going to shame all the other jurisdict For all your local One of the victims, advertising ions former throughout Europe needs please contact Blackpool bus and beSales Manager our Hutchings, 67, driver Les yond into acknowledging lost nearly what many Charles Bamber his entire €117,000 offshore adviprivate sors have been 0034 661 452 pension when it doing for charles@theolivep180 toxic portfolios ended up in years. “The scale of this case ress.es without his has made knowledge. the courts sit up and take notice. Page 20
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ANGER: Over article (above) and car used in drive
OLIVE PRESS
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2
FUMING: Neil Hathaway
Buying or selling your property may be the most important transaction you will ever make... Attention to detail is crucial. That is why when you choose Charles Gomez & Co for your conveyancing, our dedicated team of experts scrutinise everything and keep you informed at every step of the process.
EXCLUSIVE By Jon Clarke
While many victims lost everything and, at least one killed themselves, its owners lived lives of luxury with sports cars, exotic foreign holidays and designer clothes. Director Jodie Smart launched a fashion label and twice flew to New York fashion week, it was claimed in official court documents. When the Olive Press tracked Hathaway down to his multi-million euro mansion in the hills above Javea he couldn’t deny the theft, with his SUV parked in the drive. “But it was a lot less papers than the police claimed,” he insisted.
Angry
“I was angry, just very angry, as you printed documents from the court,” he added. “My wife was approached at work. I was just protecting my name along with everything else,” he added. As for the CWM situation he insisted he ‘didn’t go out to scam anybody’ and added he had lost ‘a lot of money’ as well, but declined to say how much. Denia court is set to continue its probe into how 750 victims
lost millions, with at least 17 losing their entire pension pots. These include former Blackpool bus driver Les Hutchings, 67, who lost nearly his entire €117,000 private pension when it ended up in high-risk portfolios without his knowledge. Another is widow Karen O’Hagan, who lost €72,000 of her RBS pension in similar circumstances. She was told by CWM staff that transferring the money was the only way to protect it for her two young children if she passed away. In declarations made in February, Hathaway, along with two other former colleagues Anthony Downs and Dean Stogsdill, claimed their former boss Kirby was responsible for convincing claimants to move investments from low to high risk. Pensions investigator Angela Brooks told the Olive Press the case would set a major ‘precedent’ across Europe. “It’s a disgrace that it’s taken a Spanish lawyer in Spain and a Spanish criminal judge to recognise the wickedness of actions taken by all parties concerned. “The scale of this case has made the courts sit up and take notice.”
Mown down in Mercadona 35 Years of Excellence in Conveyancing
A BRITISH tourist stabbed, robbed has been talised by three and hospiminors who recorded the attack on their phones. The trio were cuffed lice in Sant Vicent by pode Raspeig, near Alicante, their victim suffered after a collapsed lung and dergo emergency had to unsurgery. A statement said the group stabbed the victim in the back with a whilst recordin pen-knife, on their mobile g the attack phones. The unnamed holidaym was taking a morning aker stroll when he sensed ing followed, sohe was bereturned home as a precautio The gang caught n. him and a struggle up with ensued, where he was attacked and robbed of his wallet and mobile. A passerby help, calling anstopped to ambulance straight away. The man suffered a collapsed lung and immediately went into surgery. CCTV quickly the identity of theestablished two of which wereattackers, already known to police. Matching clothing and the weapon used in were found in the attack subseque nt house searches. The 16 and 17-year-o rested were chargedlds arthe crimes of robbery with violence and woundin with g with intent.
GOTCHA: Financier banged to rights stealing Olive Press newspaper to cover up his links to fraud trial THE former chairman of a crooked wealth management company has been accused of stealing hundreds of copies of the Olive Press newspaper, court documents have confirmed. Police have grilled the wealthy moneyman over the theft of up to 20 bundles of the paper on the Costa Blanca. It comes after witnesses spotted Neil Hathaway jumping out of a black SUV and lifting entire bundles from our stands along with an accomplice. Hathaway, who had been grilled over his involvement in the Continental Wealth Management scandal, took umbrage to his name appearing in an article in our March 5 edition. He insisted he had taken the papers as he ‘was angry’ with the story headed ‘In Denial’, about how he and his colleagues scammed hundreds of investors out of an estimated €35 million. Tee company is accused of fraud and falsifying commercial documents among other crimes. The Olive Press is now taking legal action against the British financial advisor, who worked alongside the CWM team at Javea’s upmarket Marriott Hotel.
AN Italian expat has been run over and killed in a supermarket car park row. The Tarifa restaurant owner Roberto, originally from Naples, was in collision with a car after an argument inside Mercadona, in Palmones. The argument had begun in the supermarket, according to eye-
witnesses, before spilling over outside. The driver was arrested at the scene by the Guardia Civil, while Roberto was rushed to hospital where he later died. Roberto had moved with wife Liliana to Tarifa in 2004 and ran popular Italian restaurant, Punto Pizza. He had a 14-year- ROBERTO: And old daughter. Liliana
18th 2020
Holiday hell
NEWS
www.theolivepress.es
BAD COMPANY: Fury with Kinahan
Bite of the Big Apple DANI Garcia has announced his return to New York with a fine dining restaurant and a ‘fast food’ venture. The controversial Marbella chef is descending on the Big Apple six years after his dream opening there, Manzanilla, closed with debts of €600,000. The 44-year-old is famous for shutting down his eponymous Costa del Sol eatery, just a month after it garnered a third Michelin star. Garcia, who also launched a McDonalds burger, aims to open 15 ‘full service’ Casa Dani restaurants and up to 100 ‘quick service’ Minük joints in the US and worldwide.
THE MTK Marbella boxing gym, which was originally co-funded by Irish gang boss Daniel Kinahan will not reopen after its coronavirus lockdown. Opened by former Irish, British and European champion Matthew Macklin – who has no link to criminality - in 2013 it was originally called MGM (Macklin’s Gym Marbella). Initially it brought a lot of welcome attention to the Costa del Sol city with sportsmen of the stature of Frank Bruno and Graeme Souness attending events.
July 8th - July 21st 2020
3
Counted out There is no suggestion that any of the gym’s celebrity visitors knew of any underworld links. MGM was renamed MTK Marbella and taken under new management in 2017, with links to Kinahan being severed. The gang boss resurfaced in the boxing world recently when he was publicly thanked by heavyweight champ Tyson Fury for brokering a €200 million series of clashes with Anthony Joshua.
Chequebook love Ex-lover of former king claims she was given €65 million out of ‘gratitude’ By Scarlet Jenkins
GERMAN aristocrat Corinna Larsen says her former lover, King Juan Carlos gave her €64.8 million ‘out of gratitude and love.’ She believes the ‘gift’ might have been an attempt to ‘win her back.’
THE King and Queen of Spain have embarked on a royal tour in order to promote the new normality and encourage tourists to visit. Felipe VI along with his wife Letizia spent a few days in Andalucia as part of their tour, visiting both Sevilla and Cordoba. The glamorous duo started their tour in the Canary Islands, before moving to the Balearics, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha, Valencia and most recently Murcia. The official objective of this tour of the country is ‘to promote the most characteristic activities of each region in all sectors, economic, social and cultural.’ In addition, the Royal couple want to thank and recognise in person the effort that everyone made to overcome the pandemic. "We promote the message that now travel throughout the country," said the King.
LOVEBIRDS: Corinna Larsen and King Juan Carlos She made the statement to the Geneva Prosecutor's Office in 2018, but it was only released recently due to Larsen claiming her right within Swiss law to appeal sending her statement to another country.
Going walkabout
It is now seen as crucial in an ongoing investigation into the retired king for money laundering and tax fraud. The business woman, whose full name is Corinna Zu Saynn-Wittgenstein, claims ‘it was a gift,’ and not an attempt ‘to get rid of the money’. Larsen stated she was called up by Juan Carlos’s lawyer, Dante Canonical, who told her the retired king wanted to give her the cash to ensure a ‘good future for my children and me.’
Donations
Larsen was also questioned about €1.5 million given to her by her royal lover in 2011, but she claimed it was a ‘donation’ so she could buy a house in central London. The four people involved, including Larsen, Juan Carlos, Canonical, and the king's manager, Arturo Fasana, are being tried for money laundering, which would result in a five year prison sentence.
KIM CLARK
HOLLYWOOD HUNK: Hugh Jackman’s global goal
Wolverine a fan of PM Sanchez
HOLLYWOOD actor Hugh Jackman has shared an Instagram story of Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, along with the Spanish flag. The Australian actor posted these stories as part of the worldwide campaign Global Goal: Unite For Our Future. On June 27, world leaders from around the world took part in the campaign, along with music stars, such as Justin Bieber and Shakira, who performed in order to raise money. Many famous figures from numerous industries have been involved with this campaign, including Bill Gates, who donated millions. The social initiative calls on world leaders to commit the financial resources necessary to deliver tests, treatments and vaccines to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the world's most vulnerable people. In the video, Sanchez said: “We must mobilise so that the health crisis does not provoke a human rights crisis.” Jackman's post, which also features a waving flag of Spain, has caused quite a stir among his followers, who have commented hundreds of times.
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NEWS
4 www.theolivepress.es 5-star unlock EASYJET is set to start flights to Gibraltar on July 20 after Phase 5 of ‘Rock Unlock’. Restaurants and bars are now opening until 2am and are able to have up to 10 people on each table. In Phase 5 text messages about the virus stopped and people were able to gather in groups of 20 instead of just 12. EasyJet is due to start flying to Gibraltar on July 20, although it is already flying to Malaga which has many more cases of COVID-19. Passengers to the Rock would not be required to have been tested before getting onto a plane. Phase 6 is due to start on July 13.
Foggy fight for life
Skipper saves catamaran from watery grave
Free parking ROCK residents will be able to park for free for three hours in the Mid-Town multi storey carpark. The GFSB and Chamber of Commerce managed to negotiate the free parking with the government to promote town centre shopping.
CRASH: Captain saves his boat from sinking off Gibraltar in night-time fog A FEARLESS captain stopped his catamaran sinking after colliding with a huge drilling platform during a foggy night in Gibraltar waters. As rescue launches arrived at the scene, the sailing boat’s captain informed them that he had isolated the leak and kept the boat afloat. The call for help was made at 3:30am on Sunday night by the Stena Drillmax platform anchored on the east side of the Rock. It reported that the catamaran had crashed into it and could be in danger.
OPINION
H
Taking times WHEEL CHANGE: Cycle plans meet opposition
On yer bike
New boss A NEW Commander of the British Forces with Royal Navy roots will soon take charge of the Gibraltar military base. Commodore Steve Dainton takes over as CBF on July 14 from the current commander, Tim Henry. Dainton has been in the Royal Navy since 1987, taking part in various Middle Eastern military operations. He was awarded a CBE for his role in Libya and evacuated Brits from Beirut and Benghazi.
July 8th - July 21st 2020
E has been at it for two decades… but now the world has changed, is it time for Leapy Lee to stop his racist
rants? Those who have been unfortunate enough to read his rants in the Euro Weekly News have long known of his hatred of Muslims. He has stirred up resentment against Britain’s Islamic community on a regular basis for years. Without a shred of evidence he makes statements like: “These fanatics will one day find themselves sitting cross-legged on the carpets of Westminster, issuing out the rulings of Sharia, sending out legions of men with sledge-hammers and drills to our precious museums and chopping off heads in Trafalgar Square.” Formerly known for his one hit single, Little Arrows in 1968, Lee, who is based in Mallorca, was jailed in the UK for a knife attack against a pub landlord, which might give an insight into his mind-set. But it has to be said that Lee does not just single out the Muslim world which he lumps together as one, tarring all followers of the religion with the same extremist brush. He has also recently waded in on the Black Lives Matter movement. His recent column on the BLM protests in the UK, actually blames THEM for creating racism. “BLM demonstrations have managed to create more racial divisions in society than any other movement in living memory,” he wrote last month. Then, forgetting to present any evidence more than his own prejudiced views he said: “As far as stop and search is concerned, the problem
By John Culatto
The Gibraltar Port Authority (GPA) immediately contacted the captain of the small sailing boat who informed them ‘he was taking in water’. Customs launch ‘Searcher’ and another boat, ‘Ultimate Dream’, were sent to the scene. They were directed to the exact location by the Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) located at Windmill Hill. When they got there the catamaran crew assured the au-
thorities they had managed to get the situation under control. “The captain of the yacht declared that his vessel was taking on water but that it was being contained in a watertight compartment at the bow,” said the GPA. The catamaran then followed ‘Searcher’ and ‘Ultimate Dream’ into Gibraltar port where repairs could be made. The Stena DrillMax is a large ship which has been in Gibraltar waters since April, paralysed by the COVID-19 global crisis.
PLANS to change Line Wall Road and Chatham Counterguard into cycle-friendly green areas have been revealed. The move indicates that the Gibraltar Government will continue with the transformation of the town centre, despite stiff opposition. A Line Wall Boulevard will be created that will include a cycle lane, leafy walkway and one-directional lane for limited traffic and deliveries. Chatham Counterguard, which was recently closed to traffic, will soon connect with a newly formed Montagu Park, previously a car-park. This newly pedestrianised area will have more shops, bars and cafes. There will also be a cycle lane running through Chatham Counterguard and Fishmarket to link it with Reclamation Road.
ANY products bought online or across the border now cost 10% more in a historic measure announced by the Chief Minister. A 10% flat rate on all personal imports applies to all products bought online and brought across border checkpoints. The main exceptions from this new tax will be food, medicine, sanitary products, books, children’s clothes and objects less than £25. The import duty, introduced on July 2, is part of a package of measures to push Gibraltarians to ‘buy local’. Although this could be another unpopular decision, a tax on shopping abroad has long been a demand of small businesses. “People are reminded that they should declare their dutiable goods to HM Customs Officers as they cross the border,” said the Chief Minister Fabian Picardo. “This is not a voluntary duty but something that will be strictly enforced. “In respect of fuel, building materials, tobacco and wines, spirits and malts, and disposable single use products such as plastic plates and straws the existing regime will continue.”
Loopy Lee As the Black Lives Matter movement sweeps the world, is it time for Spain’s most notorious expat racist to stop his xenophobic hate speeches?
“...tribal, drug-infested killing field... This is a black community problem.”
there is that the percentage of criminality, particularly among young black men, is so high it stands to reason they are going to be targeted.” In his latest rant Lee - in the worst possible taste - raises the spectre of the holocaust ‘forecast by a politcian ‘far more intelligent and visionary than I’ in reference to BLM demos and ludicrously says the streets of Britain’s cities will soon resemble Beirut as he himself forecast 30 years ago.
“If we don’t toughen up and stop denying the existence of the ever-increasing amount of pure evil and hatred in our midst, these fanatics will one day find themselves sitting cross-legged on the carpets of Westminster, issuing out the rulings of Sharia, sending out legions of men with sledgehammers and drills to our precious museums and chopping off heads in Trafalgar Square” RACE RANTS: Loopy Lee’s ravings (left to right) on violence in London (2018), terrorism and British Muslims (2015) and why ethnic minorities are to blame for high coronavirus death rates in the UK (2020) Some years back he even claimed that Britain’s high rate of secondary infections in hospitals was due to
its mostly Muslim cleaners who had lower hygiene standards. Not only is the Euro Weekly News
DIVISIVE: EWN asylum seekers poll
“The only reason there are more people dying from the ethnic communities is because the majority consider themselves totally alien from the rules” giving Lee the platform to spout his repugnant views, now the newspaper itself seems to have been infected with the same malaise. Its Facebook page (above) last week carried a poll that identified asylum seekers as ‘modern day savages.’ This provoked such a backlash, it was thankfully soon taken down but for some reason the owners feel it appropriate to keep giving Loopy Lee the oxygen of publicity. It really is time that his ‘articles’ were taken down too.
6
NEWS FEATURE
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OPINION Time to speak up THE murder of Michael Montegriffo exactly two years ago shocked the Gibraltar community at the time. That someone could kill such a well-loved member of the community in broad daylight without anyone apparently seeing it, is very fishy. In a tight-knit community like Gibraltar where everyone seems to know everything that happens, it is strange that this one-off murder has still not been solved. As the RGP has indicated, someone probably knows something but does not want to speak up out of fear. Why someone would want to protect a murderer who could strike at any time is a mystery to the Olive Press. Michael Montegriffo was a kind, humble person who would cycle around Gibraltar in his colourful clothes and not hurt anyone. He was always friendly to others and shared his home and his possessions without compunction. His death was a shock to everyone, most of all his children, who now cannot even face the fact the suspected killer has not been found. On that fateful day an argument seems to have broken out which ended violently. Someone who meant a lot to many people died. We hope that this latest appeal from the RGP bears fruit. It is long past time that the killer was found and justice done. This at least would allow the family to gain some peace and stop suffering from the knowledge that the killer is still walking the streets. They should not have to live with this uncertainty all their lives - it is not fair on them or the rest of the community, which was so shaken by this tragedy.
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July 8th - July 21st 2020
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The clock is ticking in the battle to save the last natural jewel on the Nerja coastline from the clutches of developers who want ANOTHER golf resort. James Warren reports
T
HE battle lines have been drawn between green groups and wealthy developers over one of Andalucia’s last undeveloped stretches of coastline. At stake is the future of what is claimed to be the last unspoilt stretch of Malaga’s eastern Costa del Sol. Soon it could be riddled with bunkers and fairways. Sociedad Azucarera Larios SA plans to develop a 250-hectare strip of coastal land a stone’s throw from the tranquil village of Maro, near Nerja, into an 18hole PGA-standard golf course, luxury hotel and around 700 luxury homes. The project has been touted by the company as a complete transformation of the area - as
BEFORE AND AFTER: The near-virgin coastline and fertile farmland of Nerja to be ripped up for huge Maro Golf resort (right) seen in a glitzy promotional video doing the rounds on websites like Conde Nast Traveler - ridding the hillsides of ‘unsightly ‘farmland’ and ‘hippies’ who currently call the district their home. It also features renowned American golf course designer Cabell Robinson, who is responsible for some of the region’s finest courses. Nerja town hall, led by controversial mayor Jose Alberto Armijo (PP), has given the plan his full backing. Echoing the sentiments of the developers, he is
eager to ‘clean up the area’ and bring in some much needed income and jobs. But the project, while popular with some locals, has met with ferocious opposition, not only from Armijo’s political rivals but also from expat residents and environmental groups. They accuse the developers and town hall of using ‘underhand tactics’ to make the so-called Maro Golf project happen by sowing the seeds for the project over the last 25 years. “For years, the landowners have
Free-for-all
The new LISTA development law, while in some ways needed, could be a concrete belt that strangles the last green spaces on the costas
T
HE empty spaces in Andalucia, those few bits between the concrete, are under threat: a rare resource that it is apparently now the time to cash in on. The President of Andalucia has approved an urban reform that allows one to build anywhere where it is not expressly prohibited. This is the reverse of the old LOUA laws that prevented building on rural, undeveloped land unless it was expressly included in an urban plan. In all, 21 laws and six decrees have been amended by PP leader Juanma Moreno, with the consternation of the opposition parties and a raft of environmentalists. Already, three appeals to the Constitutional Court have been brought, and 80 different organisations have filed a joint complaint with the Ombudsman (or Defensor del Pueblo). It is nevertheless the case that the laws needed amending (let’s not forget the 300,000 illegal homes spread around the region), but perhaps this U-turn is a bit more than necessary. What most concerns green groups is the possibility that ghastly urban projects such as the Los Merinos golf project in Ronda, or the Valdevaqueros development, in Tarifa, may now be allowed to continue. Greenpeace and Ecologistas en Accion particularly worry that the horrendous Hotel Algarrobico, built illegally on a virgin beach in Almeria, may now be legalised. And then there is the current controversial golf scheme planned for Nerja. The new LISTA law, meaning the Law of the Sustainability of the Territory of Andalucia, is designed to replace the 18-year-old LOUA law, which, as Maura Hillen, the ex-president of the mostly expat homeowners’ group AUAN described as ‘torturous and extreme’. “It placed a stranglehold on development with its urban-centric philosophy and a torturous planning approvals process that failed to differentiate between a village and the city of Sevilla,” she explained. LOUA effectively stopped homes being built on rural ground unless they were to be used for farming purposes - with many people getting around it with warehouses with windows (naves, for example). Meanwhile municipalities were only allowed to grow by 4% every eight years, which meant
My thoughts by Lenox Napier a village of 50 houses could only build two more in that time. And, usually this would be for the mayor’s brother. So when Johnny foreigner turned up looking for a nice place to live, they just ignored the rules and simply built an extra house, well, converted it from an old corral really, just down past the cemetery and not far from Paco’s Bar. And, of course, they built, given the lack of money to be made from goats or olives these days. The small villages were (and still are) dying, and an injection of new residents, especially those who were retired and would bring business to the local bars and shops, could only be a good thing. A good, if crooked, lawyer was drafted in and local town halls often gave ‘planning permission’ later rescinded by the Junta. The environmentalists were ignored, after all they are just city creatures with a romantic and wildly inaccurate view of the country. And while the vast majority of owners got away with it, far too many expats got caught up in the mess and fined or ordered to tear their homes down even though they thought
NOTORIOUS: Hotel Algarrobico in Almeria
been paying off people to give up their land, causing great rifts in families
PRIORS: Expats saw dream home razed they had all their papers in order. The best example was Helen and Len Prior, who had their home bulldozed in front of the world’s media in 2008 outside Vera, it was neither in a particular beauty-spot, nor was it in a flood-plain. Many scratched their heads as their nearby neighbours’ homes survived, while a nearby ‘irregular’ urbanisation on the beach called Puerto Rey - that frequently floods and led to the death of a British woman in 2012 - also remained unscathed. Odd that many apartments there should be owned by ex-ministers. While these new laws are a way of legalising many of the homes currently in a legal limbo where they can not be sold, ecologists certainly do have a point about layering the whole of the Mediterranean coast in concrete. While many of the poor inland villages need investment to survive, there are very few green spaces on the coast left. So it’s quite a disgrace that these wealthy coastal resorts are looking at expanding into their remaining fields, salt-flats and coves for an entirely different reason: profit. The new schemes currently being bandied about include hotels, golf courses and urbanisations from Chiclana to Cabo de Gata... and not forgetting Marbella. One paper, El Mundo, confirmed that the Junta was now ‘relying on construction to alleviate the huge losses in tourist income’ due to the pandemic. And Andalucia has lost a lot, many billions of euros at least. Making a profit is an underlying philosophy of conservatism and the current PP bosses in Sevilla. So it comes as no surprise that the Junta, reborn last year (after four decades of corrupt socialism), would want to put its resources to good use. And if these developments are finally allowed to go ahead - assuming the huge opposition doesn’t sink them - will the profits be re-ploughed back into the local economy or find their way offshore, as they did under the PSOE? That’s a debate, for which I think most of us know the answer.
7
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casting its shines bright like a diamond, writes Iona Napier Polished Mijas pueblo of the Costa del Sol, brilliance the length town known police. €4.7 million renovation
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hilltop is flaunting a square HE classic Spanish for its choco- Mijas which saw the main recognifrom Chelsea to China the transformed beyond direct late box charm nailsvibe tion, with 70% coming kitty. quaint-small-town from Mijas is flaunting from the European throw get around at just a stone’s And the ways to a €4 million the two the coast. are myriad, from(€10 on a globe’s Discovered by the and dozen burro-taxis makeover which to more bohemian artists saddle, €15 in a carriage) and 60s, writers in the 1950s in Ron- saw its main square the white stallions bearing it was immortalised Cinderella-style carriages. transformed book, The square, ald Fraser’s 1973 Set just up above the to cast coming to Pueblo, and continues Tuk-Tuk Spain is been a maa spell on visitors today. on third year and has go the end of its anyone lackAnd it’s still improving up attractions that for thrill-seekers and perfection, ramping donkey taxis, colourful jor draw 20 Continues on Page beyond the famous zippy Segway-mounted tourist tuk-tuks and
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PREDATOR WARNING EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore and Aleesha Hansel
A CONVICTED British paedophile has been offering one-on-one home tuition for children on the Costa del Sol, the Olive Press can reveal. Mark Jales (left), who was part of an evil paedophile ring in the UK throughout the 1970s and 80s, has posted several teaching adverts online after moving to Torrox RRP 3,000€
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last year. The 55-year-old, who now goes by the name ‘Mark Grayson’ or ‘Mark Kneel-Thornton’, offers to teach English to anyone ‘aged between 14 and 70’, and is willing to do it in person ‘or on Skype’. He claims he is able to help any children of ESO level, which is in fact 12 to 16 in age. Jales was jailed for his part in the London gang, which sexually abused at least four young choir boys - although police believe there could be more victims who have not come forward. Each were ‘groomed’ with alcohol, pornography and takeaway dinners. During the trial, one victim recalled how Jales laid out pornography on a bed before undressing and abusing him. “It was furtive and it was squalid,” the victim told the
COSTA BLANCA
Vol. 2 Issue 33 www.theolivepress.es
The Brits are back!
Your expat
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Christian Brueckner’s Spanish hideaway
A DANGEROUS paedophile believed to have snatched English tot Maddie McCann visited southern Spain on many occasions. German pervert Christian Brueckner hid out in the Alpujarras region of Granada often Press can sensationally reveal. dealing drugs, the Olive According to his best friend, an Austrian who lived in the area for many years, he even visited just two or three weeks after Maddie went missing. Michael Tatshl, who spent eight Brueckner, now believes he is guiltymonths in prison with of the murder of Madeleine. Having spent 14 hours being grilled by police over the crime, he spoke to the Olive Press for the first time to explain why. “He was a real pervert and talked about selling Morocco, I am pretty sure he did children to it,” he said this week. Micha, 46, who lived in Orgiva for over a decade, revealed that Brueckner had visited the town many occasions in his jaguar on and various vans.
One concerned expat who first tipped us off to Jales’ whereabouts by finding his Facebook account, told the Olive Press: “The register is extremely strict about attempting to contact or even making yourself available to be connected to kids. “His Facebook profile alone is a breach of such conditions, nevermind advertising to teach children.” It comes after he was exposed by the UK press for launching a legal firm to help families get their children back in the UK after he was released from prison. Parents in family court cases paid £300 (340 euros) for his support as a ‘McKenzie Friend’ – an aide who does not need formal legal qualifications.
FAMILIAR SIGHT: Brueckner’s ‘Winnebago’
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com. In one advert he says: “I am a warm and kind teacher who believes that learning should also be fun so that you can practice and improve your English without feeling stressed or under pressure. “I am a native English teacher and have two years of experience teaching online. “I teach students from 14 to 70 years of age, conversation or business English with individual classes by Skype. “I also have classes for up to 6 students at a local café in BUSTED: Jales’ advert Torrox.” Jales, who was convicted of court in 2014. Croydon But since being released the indecent assault at half Olive Press can reveal Jales Crown Court and served behas he where of a 12 months sentence Spain, to moved hind bars, must stay on the family and friends. register While here he has been seek- UK’s sex offenders’ ing students as an English until 2024. including The conditions state he must teacher on websites children findmyfavouriteteacher.com have no contact with tuclasesparticulares. under that age of 18. and
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HE Olive Press stands for strong, independent, investigative local journalism. And you don’t have to take our word for it – just ask Google. The internet giant has recognised us through its Google News Initiative and dipped into its coffers to give the Olive Press a substantial grant. Its Journalism Emergency Relief Fund was set up to help small and medium sized news organisations weather the COVID-19 storm. But applicants had to meet stringent conditions to qualify. First and foremost they had to produce ‘original news for local communities’, with the emphasis on news, and have a digital presence, among other criteria. Google set high standards for the awards and not many applicants achieved them. The Olive Press was chosen as one of a handful in Spain - and just 1,550 newsrooms around the three continents of Europe, Africa and the Middle East to get the grant. We have already invested some of the money in taking on new journalists, not buying Bentleys or i-Macs, and we continue to break dozens of big stories in Spain every month. We pride ourselves on producing relevant investigative news that connects with the expat community – and we are glad to see Google agrees. www.ibexinsure.com
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as some people want to sell and others, with long lines of farming heritage, do not,” explained expat Deborah Fountain, 53, a retired hairdresser from London. “Families who have worked this land for over four generations have been torn apart,” she continued. The Adelante political coalition in Nerja has also explained that for years, Larios has allowed settlers to live on the land for next to no rent, yet now is using them as a political tool to develop the area. “This situation of neglect has been encouraged by renting out the land to people, many of whom are not in agriculture at all. This way they already have an excuse to say that you have to end this situation of abandonment of the land when it is them themselves that have caused it.” explained Andres Jimenez Perez, a member of Izquierda Unida in Nerja. Fountain, along with her husband Paco Galvez, are members of the official opposition platform, Otro Maro y Nerja es Posible. She has lived in the area for 35 years and the couple have an idyllic life on a smallholding. “We have been fighting this for years but it is forever a losing battle,” explained Galvez. And now they have garnered strong support for their cause with the likes of Ecologistas en Accion and Greenpeace Spain on board, as well as Royal Holloway, University of London, whose students visit the site every year as part of their geology
syllabus. There are also 19,000 signatures and counting for their Change.org petition. Ecologistas en Accion has also been extremely vocal in its opposition to the project and the new government bill that would allow it to come to fruition (see Free-for-all, inset). During its annual ‘Atila’ awards, the group singled out Andalucia President Juanma Moreno Armijo for gongs for their ‘eagerness to destroy’ the coastline. The bill in question (LISTA, the ‘Law for the Promotion of Sustainability of the Territory of Andalucia), aims to simplify the categorisation of undeveloped land. But it means that, potentially, even protected land could be opened up to developers, as seen in two places of the fragile and endangered Cabo de Gata Natural park, in Almeria. In response to the massive backlash, Nieves Atencia, Nerja councillor for urban planning, has quashed any claims of a secret agreement between Larios and the PP. “I urge the opposition to this to be more responsible and to change their approach to a more constructive one, instead of seeking media prominence,” she said. However local Podemos spokesperson Juan Jose Aido Haro, told the Olive Press that his party strongly opposes the plans. “We are against developing this project. It has been farmland for many generations,” he said. “The golf course is just an excuse to build a luxury hotel and
BRAINCHILD: Of Maro Golf designer Robinson and Armijo (right)
hundreds of homes for tourists. Its implementation would have the Costa del Sol, with some a completely negative influence even closing including Monte Mayor in Marbella. on Maro.” Meanwhile, the Otro Maro Baviera went into receivership groups insist the job claims are last year, threatening jobs, and inflated, with the average golf only an 11th hour buyout saved course only employing 16 peo- it from closure. But despite this, manager Aurople. “And do you really think they will ra del Rio Garces remains upuse local builders?” said Debo- beat about the new Maro projrah, “They will bring in whoever ect. “It would create another golf destination comes cheapest.” east of MalaHer sentiments are echoed by fel- Project that could ga,” she said. Among other low Maro resident tear this last locals in favour expat Graham, a the course, retired financier remaining oasis of Ana Guierro, from Dublin who who works at has owned a plot of tranquillity the Puente Aguof land in the area apart ila bar near the for five years. Cuevas de Ner“I came here for ja, said: “It’s a the scenery, the good idea, it will ruggedness and tranquillity but if they go ahead with the golf bring many opportunities to the course, I’m sure many people area.” Meanwhile, there are rumblings will want to relocate,” he said. The row is underscored by the of discontent behind the scenes recent struggles of neighbour- at Larios Azucares SL, with one ing Baviera Golf, 15 minutes of the four main shareholders along the coast in Caleta de expressing concern over the fiVelez, which has fallen on hard nancial investment in the projtimes, as have many of the oth- ect, raising questions over the er 50-plus golf courses along management of the company. Barbara Gutierrez-Maturana-Larios, along with her mother and sister, insist that the company does not have the assets to invest €300 million into the project. They are also concerned over internal differences in the running of the company and are calling for it to be disbanded, putting the whole project in doubt unless a truce can be worked out. And with the new law coming into force in Sevilla, it means they could potentially put pen to paper this summer on a project that could tear this last remaining oasis of tranquillity apart. The Olive Press has approached Sociedad Azucarera Larios SA and Nerja Town Council for comANGRY: Nerja residents Deborah Fountain and her husband Paco Galvez are against the Maro Golf ment. plans, which could see the old Maro sugar factory (right) turned into a swanky new hotel
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Jet setters...
(far BIG FANS: Obama, Cameron and it right) Saudi royalty know how to spend
J.Lo-ving it!
she JENNIFER Lopez has confirmed will play on the Costa del Sol to celebrate her 50th birthday. 49, The forever-young Latina legend, will take to the stage at Marenostrum Castle Park in Fuengirola. will The unmissable gig on August 8 mark over seven years since the Jenny from the Block singer’s last Spain appearance. J. Lo takes part in the Marenostrum Festival, which has also seen the likes Rod and Cox Carl Yankee, of Daddy Stewart. Having sold in excess of 80 million records worldwide, Lopez, who was the in born to Puerto Rican parents the Bronx, New York, is regarded as US. most influential Latin artist in the
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and property Giant €750m multi-sports final furlong development enters EXCLUSIVE By Laurence
Dollimore
and will be massive for Mijas sporting “This will sports tourism and multibe the largest A RAFT of international in Europe,” the back an exciting stars are lining up to and residential sports events venue the project, Anbusinessman behindthe West Midlands, €750 million sportsdel Sol. project on the Costa Ferdinand and thony Arnold, from this week. Maria Sharapova, Rioexpressed a keen told the Olive PressSharapova has been ace left) Ian Woosnam have all of the proj- Russian tennis and Ferdinand (below in the interior design Sharapova, Woosnam interest in the huge British-funded long-neglect- involved called ‘Mijas City of Sport,’ TRIO OF BACKERS: project, ect to revolutionise Mijas’ site. captain Ferdiwhile former England sports ed hippodrome racecourse of the big names the site to his Football style resort for the professional The trio are just some Mirage develop- nand is set to add community’. and sports business looking to back the a golf course, a Escapes company. premier football It will include a five-star hotel, spa, casino The firm provides ment, which includes a trio of hotels and coaching courses at some of the most and luxury apartments. multi-sports venue, and university the Olive the world. An entertainment venue exclusive resorts around over 1,000 luxury apartments, Woosnam, mean- campus are also being considered for the reveal. Welsh golfing legend Press can exclusively detailed 17-page the signature site, according to the while, has helped design and will be heading overview of the project, seen by the Olive 18-hole golf course the up the gold academy. - which sits over Press. planned to begin by The proposed projectdivided into three Construction is if Mijas town hall 250 hectares - will be the brand name middle of next year a working govwhich has still not formed different areas under elections following recent localArquitects Mirage. HCP a large sport- ernment gives it the green light. unveiling the Mirage Sport will feature training facility officially ing events venue, elitealongside a com- of Malaga will benext few weeks. and a 400-room hotel business centre. masterplan in the on this for eight years “I’ve been working the mercial, conference and Golf will also have now and we are so close to getting “It Meanwhile Mirage Arnold. apartments, hotel, casino and apartments backing we need,” continued a hotel and 1,200 luxury designs include five-star for not only MiMIRAGE: Development’s alongside its course. will be an exclu- will be hugely important Costa del Sol.” Finally Mirage Club‘designed as a life- jas but the whole sive sporting club
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Innocent Brit wrongly fingered for drug
CAMPAIGNER: Cristina
olive Press medical campaign finally draws blood with Nolotil regulation close
See page 6
haul finally released from year in violent
HE’S OUT!
prison
EXclUSiVE By Elisa menendez
Olive Press for Robert Mansfield-Hewitt thanks year-long campaign for his release engineer wrongly accused of storing BRITISH A tonnes of hashish in the wrongly imprisoned for a 1.5 of a property where year for drug smuggling garage he was renting a room in has finally been released. Roque. Robert Mansfield-Hewitt, San innocent Brit - who has 51, was let go without The for the MOD for 20 charge after being locked workedmuch of it in Gibralup for more than a year years, - was taken to infamous alongside terrorists and tar prison in Almurderers in a Spanish jail. Botafuegos on June 27 last year The Ministry of Defence geciras a dramatic night (MOD) worker had been following
EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore
raid. He quickly became the Guardia Civil’s main suspect despite having no previous convictions and the actual owner of the property having a previous drug conviction in Gibraltar. Despite, a lack of evidence and three front page stories
of our front pages THRILLED: Hewitt with two a shocking seven months to by this paper - he was held at formally charge him - after the notorious jail, home to denying him bail three times. ETA terrorists and Irish maDespite a serious long-term fia members, until last week. liver condition, which saw “It is amazing to be finally him moved in and out of hosout,” Hampshire-based Manpital, he did not get his day in sfield-Hewitt told the Olive court until May 27. Press from a restaurant in La Incredibly, he has still been Linea this week. ordered to pay a €1,500 fine “I’m still getting used to being for ‘renting unlicensed tourout, it has been a crazy ride.” accommodation’. ist paper the He also thanked He revealed he is now set to for all the support and legal take legal action against the pressure we have put on the state but for now is focusing authorities since his arrest. on getting home. “It is great to have had a local He is flying back from Malaga media group keeping this in the public eye. Without your Continues on Page 4 help, I’m sure it would have taken longer,” he said. Opinion Page 6 In draconian circumstances, it took Spanish authorities
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AN Olive Press health campaign has led to ‘the biggest’ drug probes in Spanish history. Our investigation into the mysterious deaths of expats from the painkiller Nolotil last year, is finally being acted on. In a landmark breakthrough, a national probe is expected to lead to new regulation of the drug, which is banned in the UK and most of Europe. “It has been a long time in coming and by raising so much awareness, I am sure lives have already been saved,” medical and legal translator Cristina Garcia del Campo told the Olive Press. The medical professional found our 1000-strong petition online and took it forward after one of her patients died from the drug. “Spain wants to help,
NoloTil VicTory
loomS that’s for sure. I have had support from every healthcare professional I have spoken to. “If I hadn’t come across your article I wouldn’t have realised what was happening to the English community,” she
TRAGIC: Graeme Ward with wife Mary (left) and Billy Smyth, who both died from Nolotil
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added. We launched our ‘Kill the Drug’ campaign against the painkiller last August, after learning that dozens of British and Irish expats had died after their immune systems were allegedly destroyed by the commonly prescribed drug. A trio of families told us how their relatives had died unnecessarily in excruciating pain. Yet, authorities refused to take our claims seriously, despite the evidence being backed up by local doctors. Fortunately, Ali-
KILL THE DRUG
cante-based Garcia del Campo spotted our campaign, while working with an Irish expat who suddenly became critically ill with sepsis and necrotizing fasciitis after taking the drug. He died later in November. Voted BEST
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Save our home!
Vol. 11 Issue 271
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EXCluSiVE By laurence dollimore
A BRITISH expat couple are fighting to save their Malaga home from demolition over a technicality. Gill and Bob Ward, both 74, have been locked in a battle with their town hall, which claims their house in Almayate is illegal. Just yesterday the retired couple from Cornwall were given
Continues on Page 8
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THE Olive Press is giving away three pairs of tickets for two of the best concerts on the Costa del Sol this summer... And all you have to do is answer two simple questions! Michael Bolton takes to the stage for an emotive end of season night at Marbella’s Puente Romano on August 10, while Estepona is set for its biggest rock concert in years with mammoth
Doctors and dentists join Olive Press appeal for ban on dangerous painkiller Nolotil EXCluSiVE By laurence dollimore
one month to knock down their only property (pictured above). In a court order seen by the Olive Press, the Wards are warned they will be held criminally responsible if they refuse. “I don’t know what to do anymore, I’m at the end of my tether” Gill told the Olive Press, “I’m totally exhausted from the whole ordeal.” The retired pair, who have now spent thousands of euros on legal costs, bought the old farmhouse ‘in ruins’ in 2004, and were given permission from Velez-Malaga town hall to rebuild it. But when the original wall collapsed of its own accord during construction, the Wards’ architect told them it would be fine and that he would let the town hall know. Unfortunately for
tribute bands Think Floyd, Deeper Purple and Whole Lotta Led rocking out the greatest hits of Pink Floyd, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin at the Plaza del Toros on August 26. For a chance to win a pair of tickets to see Bolton, just answer the question; what year was Michael Bolton born in? For the Pink Purple Zep Fest in Estepona, just tell us; Where was Jimmy Page born? Email answers to the newsdesk@theolivepress.es.
WIN WIN WIN: Bolton and Pink Purple Zep Fest tickets
Kill ThE drug
THE Olive Press is calling on Spain to ban a lethal painkiller that is killing countless of unsuspecting expats. British dentists and doctors are supporting the ban after Briton Graham Ward, 75, complained to the Olive Press of how he was prescribed the deadly Nolotil drug by a dentist last week. It’s the very same drug that was blamed for killing his wife in 2006. The Marbella-based expat was furious when he was told to take the painkiller by his Spanish dentist, after suffering from a difficult abscess. His wife Mary, 59, had died after being prescribed the same drug following a double vasectomy at Costa del Sol Hospital. “Within 24 hours she was in intensive care, her white blood cell count plummeted to zero within days,” explains Graham, a former computer HAPPIER TIMES: Graham with wife, and Billy Smyth technician, from London. She never regained conscious- again. Metamizole, Nolotil is banned ness and was on a life support “He said she would be alive if in the US, the UK, Ireland and machine for FOUR months, she hadn’t taken it, but I have most of Europe, but it is prebefore spending three years heard from dozens of Brits scribed widely in Spain. fighting the impact of the and Irish who have been given Irishman William ‘Billy’ drug, which led to organ fail- it,” added Graeme. Smyth was given a five-day It is the third victim of the course of the drug in Februure. “The chief surgeon at the hos- drug the Olive Press has re- ary. pital promised me he would ported on in under a year. But when the 66-year-old renever prescribe that drug Sometimes known also as turned to a different Spanish
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Dr Nina King, of Oasis Dental Care in Marbella, fully supports the campaign, telling the Olive Press the drug is not something she prescribes. “It’s not a drug I use, I stick to safe and standard medication,” she said, “And after seeing what damage it can do, it’s a drug I won’t be using in the future.” Marbella-based private doctor Dra. Victoria María Chacón Almeda also agrees the drug is dangerous. “I don’t prescribe the drug,” she told the Olive Press, “I have lots of British patients and I am aware of what it is capable of doing. “There needs to be a lot more research on its impact.” doctor to get a renewal in April, tests showed the drug had caused a toxic poisoning in his bone marrow and his white blood cell was dangerously low. Billy, a keen sportsman, developed sepsis and necrotising fasciitis as a result and required ‘radical surgery’ to remove the affected tissue in an attempt to save his life.
The dad-of-two later died from septic shock – believed to be linked to taking the Nolotil. Another British expat Hugh Wilcox was prescribed the same medication for mild shoulder pain on the Costa del Sol. He developed severe head Continues on Page 2
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As the summer hordes descend, the Olive Press looks at the entourages and bloated budgets of the rich and famous who regularly holiday in Spain
STUNNER: Lopez landing on Marbs
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Nolotil, or Metamizol, is still one of the most popular painkillers in Spain, yet the most feared side effect is agranulocy-
tosis, a severe and rapid drop in white blood cells, which leaves patients unable to fight infections. Garcia del Campo noticed that a large number of other English
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and Irish patients had been suffering with sepsis at hospitals along the Costa Blanca. “I thought, this can’t be normal,” explained the translator, from Madrid. And after looking at patients’ notes, she found that each had one thing in common - they were all taking Nolotil. Although manufacturers list side effects such as agranulocytosis, necrotizing fasciitis and sepsis, they are considered ‘very rare’ affecting one in every 10,000. The figures did not seem to add up to Garcia del Campo so she set about doing her own research. However, no information existed in Spanish media. The only articles she could find on the drug and its lethal side effects was in the Olive Press. “I was in disbelief,” continued the Javea-based translator, who lived in the UK for 18 years. “I thought this was surely wellknown and someone was doing something about it. Except it wasn’t. “I felt I had to inform Spain Continues on Page 2
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GIVE your children from the ages of 6 to 16 a chance to learn how to use clay with award-winning potter Ermelina Duarte, who you can contact on 54004596.
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ioblitz time
DISCOVER as many different species as possible in a certain time and area with marine biologist Lewis Stagnetto on July 18, by calling him on 56001637.
Y
ogic peace
RELAX into seemingly impossible yoga positions while watching the sunset with the lovely Sammy in Camp Bay every Tuesday at 8pm.
July 8th - July 21st 2020
Honouring our heroes Key workers to be recognised with huge art show on National Day PEOPLE who worked on the frontline battling against COVID-19 are to be honoured in a portrait exhibition. They will be put on show as part of national celebrations in September.
By John Culatto
It comes as this year’s National Day and Gibraltar Fair were cancelled because of social distancing concerns. Gibraltar Cultural Services
What’s the Mata
RECOGNITION: For frontline workers said: “We have worked together on a cultural initiative encouraging Gibraltarian artists to paint or draw portraits of our frontline heroes for free. “The idea derived from UK artist Tom Croft who was
painting key workers portraits for free, during the lockdown. “Over 50 local artists took on the challenge, and an exhibition of works is now set to take place as part of the National Celebrations programme of events.” The exhibition will be held at the GEMA Gallery, Montagu Bastion from August 25 to October 2. “This exhibition brings together those who have worked so hard on the frontline during the COVID pandemic,” said Minister for Culture John Cortes.
Gypsy roses A PAIR of Flamenco-dancing sisters have launched a ‘gypsy cave night’ to kickstart Granads’s famous nightlife. Antonia and Jara Heredia are holding a one-hour music show at Venta El Gallo in Sacromonte every night of the week. The cosy venue, which is cut into the mountainside, offers views of the Alhambra Palace from its terrace. The sisters, whose family owns the neighbouring Casa Juanillo restaurant, are joined by a guitarist and guest artists until the end of the year. Tickets are €20 available from marialacanastera.com
Posterity
“The world of culture which, hard hit by the lockdown, has risen to the occasion. “The portraits will become part of our history and form a record for posterity of those who have worked, led and supported, and of those artists who contribute so much to our sense of identity as a people.
DANCERS:Antonia and Jara (L & R)
KNOWN as ‘La Misteriosa’, she has shadily presided over an art collection worth €390 million that counts Matisse, Picasso and Rodin among its 429 pieces. But now Baroness Carmen Cervera has once again stepped back into the spotlight, after the removal of a €40 million painting from the Thyssen Museum in Madrid. The 77-year-old Barcelona-born socialite made waves after announcing that Mata Mua (1892) by French impressionist Paul Gaugin would no longer hang on the gallery’s walls. At 7am on June 9, the oil canvas, which features a scene of Maori women in Tahiti, finally left the Madrid museum, where it has been since 1999. Art experts wrapped the painting in acid-free tissue paper before packing it into an 82kilo climate-controlled capsule, with the insurance and shipping costs totalling €82,000. Cervera even travelled in the truck carrying the painting, which was accompanied by private security guards armed with machine guns. Cervera has pledged that she will not sell Mata Mua and recently said she is open to further negotiations with the Government over the collection that also includes Degas’ Racehorses in a Landscape (1894), Monet’s Charing Cross Bridge (1899) and Hopper’s Martha Mckeen of Wellfleet (1944).
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BUSINESS In the slow lane
Crash landing
Duty down
SHOPPING could be cheaper after import duty for companies was removed for the next three months. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said: “We expect our local traders to pass on this benefit to our consumers to ensure that this measure increases sales and stimulates economic activity in Gibraltar.” Import duty on commercial imports has not been charged since the start of the crisis in April while businesses will also get government aid. Import duties on vehicles is being kept at zero in July. Import duty on motor vehicles will return to the levels charged in March before the COVID-19 crisis. Julian Byrne, Gibraltar Federation of Small Businesses chairperson told the Olive Press: “It’s good for local retailers and will help encourage local shopping.”
Spain may never recover from pandemic, top bank warns
SPAIN’S central bank has suggested the economy will not recover from the COVID-19 pandemic until late 2022. In its annual report, the bank predicted that recovery would take years and that women, low-income workers and young people will bear the brunt of the crisis. “Spain’s economy faces the COVID-19 crisis with inequality significantly higher than before the financial crisis of 2008. The COVID-19 crisis is having the biggest impact on vulnerable groups,
By Andy McInnes
which suggests further deterioration of equality,” says the report. The report details how Spain’s economy suffered its steepest losses ever in the first quarter of the year (5.2%), but that the drop is expected to be much sharper in the second quarter. The bank predicts that unemployment in Spain will shoot up to 18.4% in the most optimistic scenario but could reach as high as 24.7% if there is a
Lovisa lost
GONE: Jewellery giant won’t reopen
JEWELLERY group Lovisa has quit Spain due to the coronavirus lockdown. It has abandoned plans for a rapid expansion through the country and will not reopen its nine Spanish stores. The group has put the blame on a ‘disappointing’ response from landlords when it sought help on its rent bills. The company has set aside €2.03 million as an ‘impairment charge’ to cover the cost of the closure.
second wave of the pandemic. “We need a growth strategy that’s integral, ambitious and based in consensus. And we have to put it into action urgently,” said Spanish central bank Director Pablo Hernandez de Cos in a video message. “But once the crisis comes to an end, we will find ourselves with the highest level of public debt in decades. We’ll then have to undergo deep budgetary reform that reduces debt and gives us room to face future challenges.” Spain has been operating in a post-lockdown new normal since June 21. The country has also been warned that future economic growth will be sluggish unless major reforms are enacted. Medium-term growth potential - only around 1% before the pandemic - is at risk of falling further with businesses near collapse and some sectors facing weak demand for years to come. “In this context, it’s absolutely imperative to put in place measures that compensate for the damage triggered by the crisis, to increase growth potential,” Bank of Spain chief economist Oscar Arce said.
9
July 8th - July 21st 2020
Paying the price TOBACCO prices will be fixed at only 32% lower than Spain to stop cigarette smuggling. The historic concession to Spain removes a major obstacle in relations with Gibraltar as the Chief Minister Fabian Picardo sets out his stall in post-Brexit talks. Picardo said ‘with goodwill, energy and enthusiasm’ he was confident to ‘deliver a positive outcome’ from talks being held over the next few months.
SOME 900 jobs in Spain are to go after Airbus announced plans to slash 15,000 people from its world-wide workforce. The aircraft giant aims to ‘resize its commercial aircraft activity in response to the COVID-19 crisis’ and will begin negotiations with trade unions this autumn in order to reach an agreement. The cuts will affect 5,100 jobs in Germany; 5,000 in France; 1,700 in the United Kingdom; 900 in Spain and 1,300 in the rest of the world. The company has told trade unions that business activity has fallen nearly 40% in recent months because of the ‘unprecedented crisis’ facing the industry. Furthermore, air traffic is not expected to recover to preCOVID-19 levels before 2023, possibly not until 2025.
Food alert A NEW supermarket has opened on the Rock selling all the top UK food products. Food Co is located at Marina Bay and stocks Tesco products, as well as all the other daily needs. The company aims to bring UK food into Spain and Portugal, with Gibraltar being a vital step in this journey. “We aim to bring the best of British to your door as exclusive stockists of Tesco,” said Food Co. The store will be open everyday until 9pm.
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952 147 834
*Based on third par ty. Offer valid for new customers only. Subject to conditions. Ends 31/12/20.
TheOlivePress-256x170-CAR0520.indd 1
11/5/20 9:46
RENT and rates cuts for businesses in Gibraltar are being offered to help them survive the COVID-19 tourist drought. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo spoke of the challenges of getting the economy working when ‘there is not much of a market out there’. It follows the drop of tourism which brought a lot of customers and cash into Gibraltar hands. The measures have been drawn up by the business groups and unions that make up CELAC (Covid Emergency Liaison & Advisory Committee). Rates for businesses, already cut in half, will now be reduced to 75% if they are paid early. All companies on commercial property except for supermarkets and pharmacies will be able to use these discounts. Government will cut its rents by 50% for the next three months. Private landlords are encouraged to reduce rent by 25% and will be taxed 75% of rent they receive if they do not
24/7 EMERGENCY ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE
Rents slashed 50% for tenants while landlords targeted by tax
HELP: Government giving businesses a chance By John Culatto
make these discounts. Property renters who do not have rent lowered by private landlords will owe three times less tax for the rent they pay. Under the new BEAT Covid worker wages scheme, the government will pay 60% of that wage for July, 40% for August and 20% for September. They will be contacted by email and asked to comply
STAY SAFE If you break down, stay calm and safe until rescue support arrives. Remember that while you wait for help, your priority is to safeguard yourself and any fellow 1 passengers. 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 This service is exclusive to Línea Directa and allows breakdown recovery and roadside assistance services to pinpoint your location and send help directly to you. This service is available throughout mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. The technology is simple to use and really useful when you need it most.
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to BEAT 2.0 conditions to receive the payments. However, PAYE and social insurance payments, including those due last March will still need to be paid by March 31, 2021. “This is the right balance between assistance and intervention,” said Picardo. “We believe these are the measures our economy needs.” The new framework will mainly apply from July to September at least for the moment.
Lockdown has been disastrous for the real estate sector, but this was mitigated by a good start to 2020. During the first six months of the year, investment stood at €4.187 billion, 23% less than a year ago. The residential sector is emerging as one of the drivers of the recovery. Investment in the second quarter amounted to €255 million, accounting for 24% of the total. The build to rent market is gaining ground as it is seen as a relatively safe sector with great potential.
7 Language (5) 8 Refrigerator compartment (6) 10 Wife of your son (82-3) 11 Flowering shrubs (6) 12 State positively (6) 14 Squirts (6) 16 Very handsome young man (6) 20 Supreme commander (13) 22 Velvet-like fabric (6) 23 Upright (5)
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JUST three transactions accounted for nearly half of all real estate investments in Spain in the second quarter of the year. Only €1.06 billion worth of sales were made in the period, 65% less than a year ago, according to figures from BNP Paribas Real Estate. The three major operations in the quarter included the purchase of a portfolio of 36 supermarkets from Mercadona by LCN Capital. The other two were the sale of 919 homes to AXA IM by developer Tectum, and the acquisition of an office complex by DWS in Barcelona.
Across
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To help you stay safe here is a checklist of some important safety items in the event of a breakdown. This emergency breakdown kit should be kept in your vehicle at all times. The kit includes: a torch and spare batteries, warm clothes and blan- 2/8/18 kets, 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.
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July 8th - July 21st 2020
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PROPERTY Lightening the load 10
1 Solemn promise (6) 2 Followed (6) 3 In a maternal manner (8) 4 Small roofing slabs (5) 5 Abominable snowman (4) 6 Scottish sheep dog (6) 9 Study hard (4) 13 Evade (8) 14 Droops (4) 15 Leased (6) 17 Sounds (6) 18 Condescending (6) 19 Extreme (5) 21 Public disturbance (4)
All solutions are on page 14
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL Chilled Walk the walk out
July 8th - July 21st 2020
Restaurante Colinas del Faro is welcoming summer with a stunning range of freshly prepared dishes. The well-established eatery in between La Cala and Fuengirola has drink and main course offers every day of the week, for as little as €7.50. Located several streets back from the hustle and bustle of the coast, you will feel relaxed on their shaded terrace. The superb menu includes chicken curry, chicken wings, fish, pasta dishes, goulash, salads, burgers and pizza. There is something for everyone at Colinas del Faro and with the weather improving, BBQ season has arrived. Colinas del Faro also holds a weekly international music and dancing night every Wednesday from 8pm - 10pm. All musical styles and abilities are welcome, so grab a partner and come along.
For more information and bookings, contact restaurantecolinasdelfaro@gmail.com or call 951 06 87 10
11
Hikers told to step into the ‘new normal’ with updated footpath network
ADVENTURE: On routes like Mediterranean Steps
UNSUSPECTING wine lovers in Spain have been left with a sour taste in their mouths after falling victim to an Italian fake wine scam. Empty bottles of expensive wines were refilled with low quality plonk and marketed online as genuine ones ‘on offer.’ The Italian Carabinieri police, supported by Europol, carried out raids in eight Italian provinces (Avellino, Barletta-Andria-Trani, Brescia, Como, Foggia, Pisa, Prato and Rome) to bring down the counterfeiting network. The wines were sold in Spain, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and the United States, often ending up in the glasses
WALKERS in Gibraltar and visitors from the Costa del Sol will soon be able to enjoy a number of official National Trails all over the Rock. The proposal includes the popular Mediterranean Steps and Martin’s Path as well as other less well-known walkways. Two of the nature trails being proposed are in the area of Blackstrap Cove on the eastern side of the Rock and Devil’s Tooth Path in the south district. Clearing works are currently being carried out on these as well as the Europa Point pathway to make them safe and ready for use.
Sour taste of unsuspecting wine bar and restaurant customers. Empty bottles were harvested from restaurants by two people working in the food industry. These bottles were then refilled with cheap wines bought online or at discount stores. Afterwards, the bottles were re-corked and sealed with counterfeit foil tops. Once contact with a buyer was established via a major e-commerce platform, the counterfeiters extended promotional offers, setting prices way cheaper then authentic bottles would cost.
Other possible nature trails are being looked at to be created in the near future. All trails will be signposted and have descriptive signs to help Gibraltar residents and visiting tourists to understand the sights. “With so many people now taking to walking for recreation and exercise, it is important that we recognise our National Trails in law,” said John Cortes, Minister for the Environment, who spearheaded the National Trails. “It will help encourage walking and the enjoyment of our landscape and our cultural and natural heritage and will no doubt attract others to Gibraltar to enjoy these too”. “This is a huge step forward in the protection and promotion of our natural environment,” concluded Picardo. The government is also looking to develop another historic area, the Northern Defences, which have been cleared out over the last few years. Formerly known as ‘the jungle’ by locals, the government now wants to see it developed into a tourism and leisure area by private companies. Proposals for the project to be carried out can now be sent to Land Property Services by September 16.
NEW: Pork medallion
Life’s a beach ONE of the coast’s top British tapas bars has reopened its doors for the summer season. Susi Gastro Tapas Beach house, on the paseo in Sabinillas, offers a fusion of international cuisine with tapas favourites. Among its exciting new dishes is pork medallion with honey mustard sauce, buttered asparagus and apple fritters. It is famous for its pornstar martinis and also serves up mojitos, other cocktails, beer, wine, cider and coffee. The kitchen is now open from weekdays from 4pm 9pm and 1pm - 9pm at weekends (closed on Wednesdays). For more information call 657 46 66 14
12
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
If you’re chomping at the bit to get out, sightseeing from the saddle is the ONLY way to travel in Andalucia, home of the purebred Spanish horse. You can keep to social distancing and don a bandana mask like the local banditos of old. Cristina Hodgson shows you how to hire the horsepower and giddy-on-up to cowboy country
July 8th - July 21st 2020
Blazing I MAGINE getting up a family posse for a trek into the mountains this summer, or cantering along the sands at sunset with a stirrup cup to finish. Andalucia is the perfect place to discover your inner Lone Ranger and you don’t have to be a veteran vaquero or Tonto to try it! There are riding stables all over the region waiting to ease you into this exhilarating outdoor sport and help you win your spurs. Andalucia is the cradle of the Pura Raza Espanola, royalty in the horsey world. This sturdy but elegant breed originated in the Jerez
countryside and has been prized by kings and sultans throughout history for its prowess as a war horse. But don’t worry if you normally shy away from bucking broncos with large teeth - Andalucian horses are also noted for their intelligence, discipline and docile nature. In case you’re tempted, the Olive Press has picked out some of the best classes, routes and group excursions offered by riding centres in Andalucia for all levels and ages. You’ll appreciate the wonders of nature from a whole new angle - Hi Ho Silver Away!
VIEWS: Horse riding is a great way to see Ronda and other areas of Andalucia
Family posses
F
or an unforgettable day out the whole family can enjoy, head up to Paddock Paradise in the Serranía de Ronda, a trekking centre that lives up to its idyllic name. Tucked away in the middle of a Mediterranean forest with awesome views of the Tajo river and the romantic city of Ronda, the centre boasts the most spectacular routes, the happiest horses and the most authentic rural experience - for families, couples and equestrian experts. One of their most popular excursions is the horse trail with forest picnic (above) - a threehour experience for a minimum of four people, priced at €75 per person. Or for true romantics, the Dream Sunset route is probably the most original way to propose to your loved one that won’t break the bank. This linear trail of circa three hours takes riders through olive grove country and right into the old city of Ronda via its famous Puente Nuevo bridge. For a grand finale there’s a bottle of champagne on ice and sunset views from the Ermita rupestre de la Virgen de la Cabeza, a ninth century hermitage cave dug out of the rock face. The panorama is the perfect backdrop for popping the question. Paddock Paradise prides itself on keeping its horses in conditions which simulate their innate habitat to keep them content and motivated. The animals are kept loose in open meadows to free-range feed ecologically, their working hours are kept on a tight rein so they don’t overdo it, and horseshoes, spurs and whips are outlawed.
Beach trekking
paddockparadiseronda.com
Junior jocks
S
et in the foothills of Granada’s Sierra Nevada surrounded by olive groves, El Club Hipico La Zubia will give the kids a great start in the saddle. Riding instructors have over 20 years of experience in both teaching and competition and offer lessons (practice and theory) for kids of all levels in small groups or one-to-ones, with classical dressage and jumping an option for intermediates. A 30-minute initiation class costs €12. The centre bases its philosophy on respect for the animals, the essential foundations of horsemanship, and their immaculately groomed horses certainly have a beautiful home. Birthday parties can even be organised, giving children a fun afternoon in the countryside with supervised pony rides, games and a chance to feed the horses. centroecuestrelazubia.es
I
f the idea of galloping along a virgin beach with the wind in your hair and the waves at your hooves whips you up into a romantic frenzy, this is the excursion for you. Donana Hipica El Pasodoble in Matalascañas, the closest coastal town to Donana National Park, has privileged access to its protected dunes and pristine sea shore where there’s not a chiringuito nor a beach towel in sight. This classic two-hour trek over rolling dunes down to the sea is suitable for all abilities and ages from five years up. It is a group activity shared with other clients, priced from €30 p.p. donana-rutas-caballo.com
CARE: Is top priority at La Zubia
NATURE: Dune tour in Donana
FOOD, DRINK & TRAVEL
July 8th - July 21st 2020
saddles
13 PROPERTY OF THE WEEK
Spectator sport
I
f you’re just looking to sit back and enjoy the breathtaking beauty of the Andalucian horse, surrounded by magic and music, Club Hipico El Ranchito in Torremolinos showcases their incredible discipline and dancing abilities to perfection. Ritmo a Caballo (Rhythm on Horseback) is an authentic equestrian ballet - 90 minutes of classical and cowboy dressage with Spanish music and period costumes. Directed by José Carlos González Guerrero, Spanish dressage champion in 2009, this magical choreography between
horse and rider has been running every Wednesday at 5:45 pm for 28 years without a break (until now - since the pandemic you’ll need to check the website for updates on what’s on). Also planned this summer is Andalucian Night, which includes the horse show, dinner and flamenco. Ritmo a Caballo Show: €26 / €15 for adults / Children 6-11 yrs. Show plus dinner: €57.5 / €36.5 ra n c h i t o . c o m / r i t mo-a-caballo/
BUCKLE UP: For horse ballet in Torremolinos
RURAL: Live life like a ranchero with this trek through the Andalucian outback
Ranchero style
S
easoned equestrians looking for a more challenging ride through Andalucia’s wild outback can saddle up for a horse trek through bull ranch country in Cordoba Province. The two-hour route organised by Entre Toros y Caballos will give you a glimpse into the running of a traditional ranch dedicated to the breeding of horses, cattle and toros bravos. The welcome includes an introduction to the history of the farm and its current owners, a demonstration of Doma Vaquera (cowboy dressage) and a chance to ride out with the head herdsman to view the livestock and experience part of a typical day. Riders need to know how trot and gallop and the excursion is not recommended for beginners or under-16s. Priced €70 per person for a minimum of two people, you can do it year-round. The ranch also organises longer tailormade horseback trails of up to five days duration through some of Andalucia’s most beautiful landscapes. Packages include accommodation, transport and visits to the best shows and events in the region (coronavirus permitting), such as the Royal School of Equestrian Art in Jerez, the Feria of Sevilla in April and the Sanlucar Horse Races in August.
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History, adventure and romance. That’s just the setting.
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Join us for a celebration of history, art, heritage and pageantry in a unique part of the world.
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14
COLUMNISTS
Typical Spanish!
July 8th - July 21st 2020 MIJAS MATTERS By Bill Anderson
One size doesn’t fit all, as every ‘typical Brit’ should know, writes Mijas Councillor Bill Anderson
I
HAVE supported the British community in Spain in a number of articles over the years. During the COVID-19 crisis, I have seen many fine examples of how the International Community has rallied round in practical support, and I commend it highly. However, something keeps happening that is now getting on my nerves. I have heard it on occasions from German friends, but I hear it more routinely from Brits. ‘Typical Spanish!’ or ‘What do you expect from the Spanish?’ I will hasten to add that these types of comments never precede or follow positive or complimentary remarks. What exactly is ‘typical Spanish?’ Paella? Jamón Serrano? My wife is Spanish, and there is certainly nothing ‘typical’ about her. How would we feel about being referred to as ‘typical Brit’? Doesn’t sound too good, does it? And what does it actually mean? The stereotypical characteristics which we associate with a nation are, in truth, nothing more than caricatures. How many people really fit this profile is highly questionable. I’ve lived almost 20 years here and would find it difficult, if not impossible, to find one adjective which could be applied across the board to every Spanish person I know. Some Spaniards love bullfighting, some hate it. Some Spaniards enjoy hunting, others are totally against it. Some love paella, others get nausea just thinking about it. Some are very noisy, others (like my father in law) are allergic to shouting. Flamenco music sets some Spanish toes tapping while others reach for the ear plugs. The Mijas Donkeys often provoke the outcry of ‘typical Spanish’ because we, as Brits, KNOW how things should be done, unlike ‘the Spanish’. What level of arrogance must we have to make statements like this? I have a Spanish friend who is currently in the process of setting up a donkey sanctuary at her own cost. She has her first three donkeys homed there. Typical Spanish! The attitude I want to challenge here is that we Brits know best about everything, and everything that is bad in Spain would be improved if they just did it our way. As if Britain is in a better state than Spain, which is full of Brits anyway. Don’t get me wrong here. This article is not aimed at every Brit living on the Costa del Sol. But it is unashamedly aimed at those who think they are better than the people whose homeland we have invaded; parts of which we have tried to turn into ‘Little England.’ No two Spaniards are the same, and we do them a great disservice when we refer to them in this derogatory manner. If we stopped making everything an ‘us and them’ issue, we might even find that there are many Spaniards who agree with us but are often as powerless to change certain things as we are. A challenge: Give me ONE word that describes EVERY Brit. Can’t find one? Well don’t do it to the Spanish!
Disoluzenment days
Giles Brown realised he wasn’t the only one heading for the beach post-lockdown
PACKED: Spain’s beaches are busy once again with the arrival of Brits and other tourists
H
OW were things for you in the first weeks of the ‘new normal’? As I mentioned before, I was lucky enough during lockdown to have permission to travel to the radio station to broadcast – my status as an ‘essential worker’ probably being the first time that I’ve been an ‘essential’ anything. As a single man living in splendid isolation by the lake – apart from the house guest in the guest cottage (three years now and still no sign of leaving) – my routine before, during and after
the lockdown has tended to be home-studio-home, so the quarantine didn’t have too dramatic an impact on my life. Although the shutting down of restaurants did mean that freebie meals as a freelance food critic were curtailed. I can hear you lamenting my predicament from here. Once the shackles of confinement were lifted, however, there was no stopping the public from heading towards the beaches en masse. On the first weekend after the lockdown one of my friends –
Covidentially-speaking H First it laid waste to our lifestyles, now it’s invading our language, writes Belinda Beckett OW’S your New Normal working out? If, like me, you don a visor over your face mask like a medieval knight of old every time you step out of the front door, probably not that normally. Even with these extreme precautions, the world is full of ‘covidiotas’ no matter how socially distanced you try to be. Last week on my dawn hike through the campo I was forced off the bridle path into a thicket of thistles by five walkers and two big dogs marching abreast minus masks or muzzles. I refrained from faking a hacking cough as they passed…
DO
The Spanish have another word – coronaburros – to describe those demonstrating asinine stupidity under the present circumstances (although it’s a bit racist to donkeys). Carallovirus (Galician for f.ckvirus) and cuarenpena (the pain of quarantine) are other neat neologisms here. Globally there has been a viral explosion of new words. The Oxford English Dictionary has already printed an extra edition to include them. Covidivorce may not have made the cut but there’s been an explosion of those too. In Saudi Arabia marital breakups shot up by 30% during
T? U O D I STAN
lockdown when Muslim women got to find out about their husband’s secret ‘other wives’. They’re allowed up to four under Sharia law. Being zumped (dumped by your partner on Zoom), possibly after you gave them a dose of Miley Cyrus (Cockney rhyming slang) are unlikely to make the OED but I’d like to see Blursday recorded for posterity – that fuzzy don’t-know-what-day-it-is feeling you have all week instead of just on Sunday mornings. Coronials (babies conceived in the time of coronavirus), is also kind of cute. The Germans have a great word for the panic buying that laid siege to supermarket shelves at the outbreak of the crisis: hamsterkauf (a merger of ‘hamster’ and ‘buy’). A video of a signer interpreting a government minister’s warning not to hoard food with a twitching nose
and clawing rodent paws went viral. Coronaspeck (lockdown flab) describes the curve that needs flattening above hamsterkaufer belts and the Germans also gave us geisterspiel – ghost game – coined when their Bundesliga premiered the beautiful game in stadia without fans. I can’t see it catching on even if it solves soccer hooliganism at a stroke. Out East, everyone’s talking about chao zuo ye, a trending hashtag on Weibo (Chinese Twitter) since Donald Trump called Covid-19 ‘The Chinese Virus’ and then followed that up with ‘Kung Flu’. Literally, it means to copy someone’s homework. In Chinese Covidspeak, it means that the West is copying their pioneering pandemic tactics without giving them credit. Personally I wish we’d done a bit more copying and we might have emerged from ‘hibernation’, as Boris Johnson so quaintly put it, a lot sooner. Me, I’m diving back into my burrow and reverting to Covidmodo (keeping my head down to avoid the covidiotas) with a quart of quarantinis to ease the cuarenpena. Namaste!
OP Puzzle solutions Quick Crossword Across: 7 Lingo, 8 Icebox, 10 Daughter-in-law, 11 Elders, 12 Assert, 14 Sprays, 16 Adonis, 20 Generalissimo, 22 Velour, 23 Erect. Down: 1 Pledge, 2 Ensued, 3 Motherly, 4 Tiles, 5 Yeti, 6 Collie, 9 Swot, 13 Sidestep, 14 Sags, 15 Rented, 17 Noises, 18 Snooty, 19 Ultra, 21 Riot.
SUDOKU
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unsurprisingly a grua driver (the Landcruiser is still off the road) – reported that there were queues of an hour to get onto the beach at Cabopino. Elsewhere my social media feeds were jammed with so many images of Tarifa, Bolonia and Zahara that I reasoned that 80% of Marbella had taken the advice of The Village People and gone west. It also led me to conjure up a new verb; disoluzenment. To drive to the Costa de la Luz with the aim of lounging on the golden sands, only to find that new social media regulations mean the Guardia Civil have blocked the roads. Talking of roads, another sign that life was returning to normal was the fact that I found myself in a traffic jam coming onto a roundabout for the first time in three months. For a split second I almost enjoyed the novel experience. And of course, the cyclists are back on the Istan road with a vengeance. Maybe it’s because they were run out of town by an angry population, (a situation I am more than familiar with, trust me), when they crossed over the Istan/Marbella border (Istan has since put up some signs to mark its boundaries). Or maybe it’s because the Lycra brigade has been cooped up inside for months. Whatever the cause, my drive home is somewhat akin to making my way through the peloton of the Tour de France at the moment. But as the socially aware citizen that I have become over these months of lockdown, I have found a new way of helping keep the risk of cyclist-carried coronavirus at bay. I’ve affixed a large water cannon to the roof of the Focus, taken out the rear seats, rigged up an industrial tank of hand sanitiser and now blast the bicycles as I breeze past. They seem to appreciate my impromptu act of civic duty, and I often glimpse them waving their Lycra-clad limbs at me in my rear view mirror!
SPORT BACK: Jasikevicius
Return of a legend BARCELONA basketball legend Sarunas Jasikevicius has been appointed as the Catalans’ new head coach. The Lithuanian manager was announced last night as Barca’s new boss, following the departure of Svetislav Pesic. Pesic was sacked following Barcelona’s surprise defeat at the hands of Baskonia in the Spanish Championship final. The new Blaugrana coach put pen to paper and signed a three-year contract. The 44-year-old was head of Lithuanian club Zalgiris Kaunas since 2016 and had guided them to the EuroLeague Final Four in 2018, along with winning the Lithuanian championship five times and the cup three times.
Finally
BASKONIA have won the Spanish basketball league title for the first time in 10 years. The Basque side defeated reigning champions Barcelona, 69-67, to win their fourth title and first since 2010. In a repeat of history, Dusko Ivanovic’s side beat the same team they defeated a decade ago, during the Montenegrin coach’s second spell at the club. The Catalans were looking to retain the ACB championship for the sixth straight season but fell just short.
VALENCIA manager, Albert Celades has been sacked, and the club’s sporting director has resigned immediately. Celades was only in charge of the Bats for nine months, and was named manager in September following the sacking of Marcelino. He is the sixth manager to lose his job since Singaporean billionaire, Peter Lim bought the club in 2014. Voro Gonzalez will now step in as temporary boss until the end of the season for his sixth spell at the Mestalla. He first took over in 2008,
Baskonia end decade long drought without a league title, by defeating Barcelona in Championship game with last second shot By Dimitris Kouimtsidis
The game was neck and neck for the entire 40 minutes, with neither side getting a comfortable lead. With 3.4 seconds of time left to play, Achille Polonara made an incredible assist to Luca Vildoza, who scored the
You’re fired following former Southampton and Everton boss, Ronald Koeman’s sacking and helped the La Liga side avoid relegation. Cesar Sanchez, the club’s sporting director was only appointed in January, but also followed Celades out the door. He is the sixth sporting director to leave his position in the six years that Lim has owned the club.
game winning lay-up. Cory Higgins had the chance to win it for Barca but his off-balance 3-point attempt from the corner was off the mark. Vildoza finished with a teamhigh 17 points plus four assists and was named Final MVP, becoming the second consecutive Argentinian player to win the award, following in the footsteps of Real Madrid guard, Facundo Campazzo. The coronavirus pandemic had forced the ACB to temporarily suspend all games. When basketball was allowed to restart, the league held a shortened version where the top 12 teams were split across two groups, playing five games each. The best two teams from each group advanced to the semi-finals, with the winners then moving onto the grand final. All matches were a one-off knockout game held at Valencia’s Pavello Municipal Font de San Lluis.
July 8th - July 21st 2020
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Getting sporty again SPORTS and exercise restrictions are being gradually released as part of Phase Five. All sports were halted at the start of the lockdown but slowly they have been lifted over the last few weeks, The Gibraltar national football squad already started training last Saturday, with the junior squads to follow on shortly, The successful rhythmic gymnastics team are now using special mats to train on that can be easily disinfected while athletics time trials will start soon. Non-contact sports like paddle-tennis have already got
the go-ahead. Swimming sessions can now have up to 12 people involved at the 25m pool with the new accessible pool taking bookings. A Stay and Play programme of activities for children will start on July 13. The elderly and vulnerable will continue to get times to exercise at Commonwealth Park and days on which they can use swimming facilities alone. Special steps were installed at the Europa Pool at Camp Bay to be used by the elderly to get in and out of what was previously called Nuffield Pool.
GYMNASTS: Back in action
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Better safe than selfie
FINAL WORDS
OLIVE PRESS
THE Guardia Civil has released a video warning about the dangers of taking a selfie and how to make sure you don’t die in the process.
It doesn’t fit THREE women have ended up in the hospital after a fight broke out in a Zara fitting room in Galicia.
Stolen cock SIX men will be going on trial for the murder of a man in Malaga province who had supposedly stolen their rooster used for cock fights.
Truth or lion
GIBRALTAR
Vol. 5, Issue 126
www.theolivepress.es
The Rock’s only free local paper July 8th - July 21st 2020
Hardened criminals THE elderly members of a British gang face stiff sentences after being caught selling fake Viagra-style drugs. The organisation was allegedly led by a 72-year-old
Pensioner expat gang busted for selling fake Viagra-style drugs British man who lived in Marbella with his 65-yearold wife.
Size does matter A DEFLATED Romeo put in an official complaint when he bought condoms that turned out to be too small for him. He had purchased what turned out to be counterfeit Durex from a grocery store in the Barcelona district of Les Corts. But when it came time to use them, he found himself in a tight spot. On unwrapping the offending articles, he discovered they were far too short for him - not something he was used to with the genuine brand. So he decided to stand up and be counted and headed off to put in an official complaint with the Ministry of Health’s Spanish Medical Agency (AEMPS). They in turn called in the Mossos d’Esquadra Catalan regional police who have reported two men to the courts for allegedly distributing the dodgy condoms.
He had previously been arrested in 2012 for selling the drugs in person, which were tagged as for curing erectile dysfunction. Now, he and his entire organisation have been detained for selling the pills from an online pharmacy. All members of the gang were British, apart from one American and they were all in their sixties or seventies. The drugs were sourced from a factory in India and imported via the UK. They had not been through required health and quality controls and were not approved for sale in Spain. A parallel police operation has closed down a similar online site based in Valencia, with 33 arrests being made across both raids. All members have been detained for crimes against
public health, with the police investigating if any of the buyers suffered health problems. Both gangs had set up websites that were meant to look like legitimate pharmacies and offered miraculous pills that would eradicate erectile dysfunction. In Spain it is illegal to sell pharmaceuticals online, unless your business is a registered online pharmacy. It is thought that across the two gangs, they had made over €3 million in profit from the fake drugs. Both gangs then proceeded to launder that money in order to buy luxury items and invest in cryptocurrencies.
A ROW has broken out between the Junta and a local businessman over the validity of a lynx video. The video of the endangered wild cat went viral after Enrique Ruiz posted it on the social media account of his vineyard business, the Bodega Antigua Real Fabrica. In what could be just a PR stunt to attract more customers, Ruiz claimed that a German tourist named ‘Mandfred’ had gone hiking in the area and spotted the endangered mammal. The Spanish businessman told Diario Sur: “When he returned from his hike he showed me the video, thinking that these animals were common here and I told him they weren’t.” The Junta however disputes the story, insisting that the video was filmed in Sevilla or Huelva. Ruiz hit back angrily: “I love seeing how they manage the environment from an office. “If they decree that there was no lynx, there was no lynx.”
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