Supreme Court backs Juan Antonio Roca's dismissal from Marbella Town Hall

The Supreme Court has turned down the latest appeal from Juan Antonio Roca, the ex municipal real estate assessor and the man at the centre of the Malaya corruption affair, against his sacking from Marbella Town Hall.

Roca was sacked as a disciplinary measure in August 2008 for his continued absence from work, during his time on remand in the Malaya case following his arrest in 2006. A Social Court in Málaga backed his dismissal as justified in January 2010, and Roca took his appeal to the Andalucía High Court.

They, too, considered it to be justified and the appeal then went to the Supreme Court. Europa Press indicates that the appeal was based on the argument of contradictions between different court rulings on cases similar to his, but that argument was thrown out in Wednesday’s ruling.

Juan Antonio Roca faces a possible 30 years in prison in the Malaya case and a fine of more than 800 million €.

 

Read the story >

Illegal Houses - Big Problems Need Big Solutions

informal meeting took place today in the headquarters of the Asociación Provincial de Empresarios del Mármol (APEM), Maceal to review the draft decree to “regularise” houses in Andalucia. Participants included 7 mayors of the Valley of Almanzora, as well as various representatives of promoters, citizens, ecologists, architects, lawyers, local authority members, notaries, planners and other social agents.

We had a constructive meeting with various representatives from social, political and economic spheres who came together to seek a way out of the maze of judicial insecurity and urban chaos which has blighted the area. We exchanged opinions on the draft decree in a clear an open way. We believe that this is the first time that such an exchange has taken place and we hope that it will be repeated in other parts of Andalucia just as this will be the first in a series of meetings that we are planning to hold.

We think that whilst there are some beneficial aspects within the draft, the truth is that they are very limited. It is nothing more than a panacea. In reality it only helps some situations but further complicates others without making the profound changes necessary that would require an amendment to current planning laws at regional and state level.

At its heart this is an invoice for the homeowners without taking into account that many of them have already paid the bill. Neither does it offer immediate solutions to the most serious problems such as legal proceedings and lack of services. This decree needs to provide interim measures until the final situation of each house is known.

There was a wide range of opinions from the participants. However, we believe that the majority sentiment is that this decree will not solve the problems in the Valley of Almanzora.

In our opinion the most important thing is not the decree rather the fact that this meeting took place. We have started the process of collaboration between interested and affected parties in the area. We are going to establish a working party and in the short term we are going to present our request for amendments to the decree to the Junta de Andalucia.

Big problems require big solutions and this draft decree is far from being the big solution required.

 

Read the story >

SUSPECTED professional hitman who blasted a British drinker to death following a row at Spanish bar has been convicted of murder.

Eric Wilson shot roofer Dan Smith, 24, eight times in the face and body.

Dubliner Wilson, 27, whose nickname is Lucky, faces up to 25 years behind bars.

Advertisement >>

Mr Smith, himself on the run from UK police over a 2007 attempted murder, had tried to stop Wilson “touching up” a woman in a Costa del Sol bar, a court heard.

Wilson raced by motorbike to his rented home, grabbed a 9mm pistol and returned to shoot Mr Smith, known as Tall Dan, on the bar terrace.

Police raided the killer’s home two days later in June 2010 and found the bike, hand grenades, explosives and ammunition.

A jury in Malaga was shown documents which suggested Wilson had killed 11 people in Ireland.

He is due to be sentenced in the next two weeks.

Read the story >

The pilot has featured parts of Marbella and nearby Puerto Banus. With an abundance of nightclubs, yachts and millionaires, a fly-on-the wall series there could go down a treat.

Bosses of The Only Way Is Essex want to make a new reality show based in holiday hotspot Newquay, Cornwall.
Plans are underway to film group of twenty-somethings living in the seaside town, which is popular with surfers, clubbers, teenagers and stag and hen parties.
Producers have been thrilled with the success of the original ITV2 series – which stars Lauren Goodger, Mark Wright and Joey Essex among others – and believe Newquay’s wild night life and eclectic mixture of people can be just as popular.
TOWIE chiefs have already commissioned the first series of The Only Way Is Liverpool and ITV2 bosses have proposed a spin-off set in Marbella, Spain - a holiday destination which is already very popular with the Essex gang.
Referring to the proposed Marbella show, a source said: ‘Producers think a show would work amazingly well in Marbella.
‘The pilot has featured parts of Marbella and nearby Puerto Banus. With an abundance of nightclubs, yachts and millionaires, a fly-on-the wall series there could go down a treat.’

Read the story >

owner of FC Malaga Football Club, Quatari Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al Thani, will create a new luxury marina in Marbella.

The owner of FC Malaga Football Club, Quatari Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al Thani, will create a new luxury marina in Marbella. With an investment of 70 million Euros  he plans to expand La Bajadilla Marina (Puerto Pesquera Marbella),. The aim at La Bajadilla is to create 400 more mooring areas which would allow cruise liners and larger yachts to enter the area. The Sheikh planned to buy Puerto Banus itself, but was unable to do so because the area cannot be expanded, reported the local press.


If the Junta de Andalucía gives the project the go-ahead then private investors can express their interest. Miguel Gomez, the President of the Tourist Initiative Centre in Marbella has said that other Arab investors have their sights set on Marbella and the Costa del Sol as they consider it a safe place to invest. New and exciting times are coming to Marbella once again.

An initial investment of 84 million Euros will be made in the project, the first jointly public privately funded venture in the region. This will include extending the wharf to accommodate cruise ships, bringing in a new wave of possibilities for the town as a tourist destination.  Plans to incorporate luxury leisure facilities including a shopping mall and a 5-star hotel will notch up a total investment of some 400 million Euros, creating thousands of jobs into the bargain.

Currently the port is the hub of the town’s fishing activities, which according to the plans, will be moved to one side of the port, making way for a spectacular new circular pier of some 900 metres competing with very similar project build at present in Malaga.

 

Read the story >

Spain has a party capital in the sun-kissed shape of Puerto Banus on the outskirts of Marbella.

It's a millionaires' playground and, while there, I mingled with celebs who love being in the public eye, including Jordan, Kerry Katona and Corrie star Ryan Thomas.

The stars of TV reality show The Only Way Is Essex made sure everybody knew they were heading "sarf" too by telling fans that they weren't eating "carbs before Marbs".

During the 45-minute journey from Malaga airport, I passed signs for historic Ronda and pretty, sleepy resorts in the Andalucian hills.

In comparison, Puerto Banus is always wide awake. It consists of a marina which is home to yachts worth millions that even Chelsea boss Roman Abramovich would be proud of.

Parked overlooking the water are rows of super expensive cars which would have footballers dribbling with excitement.

Then there is a strip of bars and restaurants - and designer shops including Chloe, Missoni and Dior - where the rich and famous can be spotted.

If you are on a budget, then save up first before stepping foot in Puerto Banus. There are no tapas bars for a cheap meal here and even a salad will set you back at least £12.

But what you can get here is a lot of fun and partying - day and night.

I heard a whisper that Jordan had arrived with her toyboy Leandro Penna so headed to celeb hangout Ocean Club (oceanclub.es).

Partygoers amble round the day club with champagne bottles in their hands and then relax - with full make-up and freshly blow-dried hair - on large leather beds overlooking a central pool.

The Ocean Club's champagne parties are legendary. Expect to pay £200 per couple for a bed and a bottle to spray over your friends.

People-watching from the exclusive restaurant or drinking at the bar is a much cheaper option.

After a mini siesta the real action in Puerto Banus begins shortly after midnight at Pangea (www.pangea-club.com).

You need to dig deep again with the entry fee costing £10 and a gin and tonic setting you back nearly £15.

But it is worth every penny. This rooftop club has spectacular views over the port and a relaxed atmosphere. It is the perfect place to chill out and dance.

Going to bed before 5am is unrealistic if you want the full experience and most clubbers head to nearby nightspot Tibu (tibubanus.com). This has an open-air terrace too but is for mainstream clubbing and has a VIP area where I spotted footballers and TV stars galore.

The perfect place to people-watch is at the famous Sinatra's Bar, where most holidaymakers flock. It stands on the corner of the port and drinkers spill out on to the street while the rich - and often famous - drive past in their Ferraris, Porsches, Bentleys and Aston Martins.

But to get a glimpse of a celebrity you don't always have to stay in the port.

La Sala restaurant and bar in Nueva Andalucia, just five minutes away, is a fantastic place for an early evening drink and live music.

I was thrilled to see Jordan and her boyfriend having dinner there - and I am sure I spotted her eating carbs!

Despite wanting a party-filled holiday I was pleased that I'd booked a hotel a ten-minute taxi ride out of Puerto Banus.

Arriving at the Hotel Melia La Quinta Golf and Spa was a truly relaxing experience, and receptionist Juan - one of the few Spanish people I met during my holiday - made check-in a breeze.

The beautiful hotel is flanked by rugged mountains and gorgeous scenery, and is perfect for recuperating after a heavy night.

Each room has a private balcony and the hotel has a range of restaurants where you can actually get to eat Spanish tapas. You could spend a whole week here relaxing by the pool without ever going into the port.

But then what would be the point of heading to the Costa del Sol's glitziest resort and missing out on all the fun?

Read the story >

MARBELLA Town Hall estimates that there are some 400 billboards in the town, of which most are illegal and on private land.

The Councillor for Public Highways, Jose Eduardo Diaz, announced that the town hall plans to create a municipal law which will require billboards to be legalized or removed. It will give companies or owners of the billboards eight days to comply with the law, and those who fail to do so will face fines of up to €1,500.
 

There will be a group of Public Highway Inspectors to make sure that the laws are abided by and enforced throughout the town.

Read the story >

Horror smash as tanker lorry brakes fail in Marbella.

TWO people died in a traffic accident at the roundabout at the entrance to Marbella from the Ojen road, and another two were injured. A tanker lorry approaching the roundabout from the A-355 (Ojen road) was unable to brake and collided with the side of a vehicle. The driver of the car suffered whiplash.

The tanker then went over the roundabout and crashed into another car, pushing it forward for several metres before rolling over it, police said. The car, totally wrecked, burst into flames due to it having been dragged along the road, and the two occupants, a 35-year-old woman and a man who has not yet been identified, were killed by the fire.

The tanker then hit the side of the road, before impacting with a third vehicle, rolling on top of it and crushing the passenger side. The 50-year-old woman driver sustained a deep cut to her hand but was not seriously injured. The two men in the lorry were uninjured but were treated for an anxiety attack. The driver was not drunk and was travelling at less than 80kph at the time of the accident despite going downhill, the tanker being full and the brakes failing.

 

Read the story >

Man acquitted of Marbella shooting in 2004

MALAGA Provincial Court has acquitted a Serbian man accused of shooting another at a Marbella shopping centre in 2004. The public prosecutor was asking for 20 years in prison for murder and weapons possession.

The sentence concludes that the accused, who spent three months in prison in 2005, the victim, and another, unidentified man, were at a restaurant at the shopping centre, when an argument broke out, during which the victim punched the accused in the head.

After this, the other man pulled out a gun and shot the victim several times on the restaurant terrace in broad daylight. The accused claims he was dizzy from having been punched and ran away when he heard the shots. He said his car was later found abandoned because he left the keys at the restaurant.

The court considered that the testimony of one of the protected witnesses is not objective as he has unresolved problems with the accused, and also disregarded the statements of two National Police officers, as the accused did not confess to the crime. On the other hand, it has taken into account the testimonies of two other protected witnesses who were close by at the time and who claimed that the accused was punched in the head and did not fire the shots.

 

Read the story >

Souvenirs of a different kind will be on offer to cruise ship passengers arriving at Marbella’s new EUR 400 million marina...

Souvenirs of a different kind will be on offer to cruise ship passengers arriving at Marbella’s new EUR 400 million marina...

In addition to the usual Spanish offerings of trips to hilltop Ronda, stuffed fighting bull dolls, castanets and flamenco CDs, "Day ashore" passengers will be able to snap up luxury villa bargains during Meet & Greet viewings organised by enterprising local estate agents.

With current recessional prices expected to revive in the next two to three years, the timely opening of the resort’s spectacular circular marina and cruise ship pier in 2015 could provide early equity gains for passengers persuaded to inspect and invest in local real estate.

Once complete, La Bajadilla will be as big an attraction as jet-set Puerto Banus and expected to bring millions of tourists to Marbella. It provides an additional 500 berths arranged on a spectacular circular pier, 220m pier for cruise liners, a waterfront five-star hotel as well as bars, restaurants and shops.

The marina investment by Qatari billionaire, Sheikh Abdullah Ben Nasser Al-Thani, has gained planning consent and completion is planned for 2015.

Said one local estate agent: “Investments made in Marbella at today's prices are bound to increase in value. Now is the time to consider buying a home in and around the Marbella area - whether you are buying as an investment, family holiday home or a permanent residence.”

A spokesman for Spanish-based investment specialists, Walker Fortune said: “We have buyers flying in for a day’s property viewings in Barcelona and Ibiza already, so we’ll provide our usual VIP Meet & Greet at the quayside for cruise passengers. Wealthy clients can find and secure the best property deal in a day.”

Currently there are Spanish bank repossessions and distressed sales from bank controlled developers and private owners in Costa del Sol, but shortages in the mid-price ranges. The best buy currently is in Coto Real Duquesa, close to Puerto Banus where brand-new, key ready sea and golf view apartments start at EUR 141,000 with 100% mortgage offers due to the excellent loan to value.

Read the story >

British soul sensation Mica Paris, 42, is heading to Marbella for two solo shows.

Now Following a smash appearance at London's Royal Albert Hall, where she covered a moving Dusty Springfield classic All I See is You, she will perform at restaurant Polo House

Read the story >