Email me atMike Emery. All financial contributions are cheerfully accepted. If you want to keep it private, use my PGP Key. Home Page
There is a theory that civilization ends at Dover and from there on it is down hill all the way. Marbella has been making its very own contribution to matters. After being discovered by the Jet Set and having a building boom that is still booming there was a rush of Brits, Germans, Dutch and other beach lovers wanting their places in the sun. But first there is the little matter of the paper work which is where the Spanish practices come in. This is the land of mañana. Why do it tomorrow when you can leave it until next month?
Of course if brown envelopes are involved things can happen much faster. Money talks. The first mayor went to prison for taking bungs. So they elected another one. He went too - followed by the third and the fourth. Then the Spanish government stopped seeing the funny side of it and took over.
No doubt it is mere coincidence that Mark Thatcher, Maggie Thatcher's favourite [ and fortunately only ] son is becoming an inmate. South Africa, America and Monaco have all decided that they can get along without him. The Wikipedia enjoyed putting the boot into the Mark of the Beast.
The follow up to the fun and games was Operation Malaya; it did things, like putting men in prison. One was the police chief. He is out now and he has even got his job back. It is because he has friends/human rights/innocence or could it be deep pockets? Then there was Operation Ballena Blanca.
Before taking too cheerful a view of the whole affair remember that our beloved Prime Minister [ T Blair ] is worrying about having his collar felt, albeit the bribes/loans/contributions/gifts/introduction fees were given for love/facilitation/favourable law changes/a blind eye/whatever. This little affair does prove that some Spanish police are honest. Where does that leave our lot?
First Operation Malaya then Operation Hidalgo
QUOTE
The latest money laundering swoop to hit Marbella – which on Tuesday, saw an initial 21 arrests, and two later being released – saw court declarations on Wednesday from seven of the accused. The detainees include three notaries – two of whom are said to be linked to the Malaya corruption case – and four lawyers from the offices of Rafael Cruz-Conde in Marbella. Reports indicate that this latest money laundering network could have been centred in the Cruz Conde offices.
UNQUOTE
Perhaps this is why Mark Thatcher is moving here; to be where the action is on the Costa del Crime. It is big time too - Police smash drugs gang which laundered EUR250 million
Ballena Blanca - one more prisoner taken
QUOTE
Michel Curtet was seized along with five other people, four French and a Colombian, along with a haul of 6,100 kilograms of cocaine.....
AWARD FOR DEL VALLE
The Chilean-born lawyer, Fernando del Valle, who is considered by police to be the mastermind behind the ‘Ballena Blanca [ White Whale ]’ scam, has been honoured by his colleagues in the Málaga College of Lawyers. Del Valle was released from jail on September 26 after posting 600,000 euros in cash as bail, some of which was raised by his fellow lawyers.
QUOTE
Six tons of cocaine is enough to make several men rich. To be fair about del Valle, he got away with it for 25 years and did better than Del Boy.
City Mayors - Corruption in Marbella
QUOTE
"During the spring operation, codenamed Operation Malaya, the police arrested the city’s mayor and deputy mayor amid allegations of money laundering, ..."
UNQUOTE
They nicked the mayor, the deputy mayor and 27 others first time. Operation Malaya II got another thirty. See Marbella Corruption
Corruption at Marbella Town Hall
QUOTE
"The former Town Hall secretary Leopoldo Barrantes and the former Local Chief Police, Rafael del Pozo, have both been arrested for a second time. ..."
UNQUOTE
Police are supposed to do the arresting but at least it proves them some of them are honest.
Court hears suspension appeal from ex Marbella Police Chief
QUOTE
"Rafael del Pozo, the former Chief of Local Police in Marbella. ... in the next few days on the appeal by former Marbella police chief, Rafael del Pozo, ..."
UNQUOTE
I am sure that you will be delighted to know that Rafael [ three illegal weapons, failure to investigate etc. ] is out of prison and got his job back. Others were not amused. I guess they must be prigs, preachers, bores or local tax payers.
Mark Langford
QUOTE
Multi-millionaire head of an ambulance-chasing claims firm who dismissed his staff by sending them text messages.
UNQUOTE
Was an inmate of Marbella and living proof that Spanish crooks are not unique. Now he is dead but the English tax man will still be digging for gold.
Milking Marbella
Is a cheerful run down on Operation Malaya. Who needs soap operas when you can have the real thing?
Operation Malaya - Nine arrested in $3-billion property scam
QUOTE
"Nine arrested in $3-billion property corruption case in Spain. Police confiscated property and goods to the value of 2.4 billion Euro ($3.08 billion) during the first part of the investigation, including thoroughbred horses, luxury villas and hundreds of works of art.
UNQUOTE
Given that billions were involved you can see that various people thought it was worth having a go. Given the amount captured by the police the moral is get it off shore soonest.
Mayor's Girl Friend Nicked
QUOTE
Spain’s gossip industry was in a frenzy yesterday after a popular singer with a colourful past was arrested in connection with the country’s most notorious corruption scandal.... Wearing oversized sunglasses, Isabel Pantoja, right, was escorted by police from her chalet in the resort town of Marbella, on the Costa del Sol, close to midnight on Wednesday. The flamboyant 50-year-old singer spent the night in a cell before being questioned in connection with a sprawling investigation codenamed Operation Malaya.... the Andalusian diva is suspected of tax evasion and laundering money for her former boyfriend Julián Muñoz, the jailed former Mayor of Marbella...... In January police seized more than €45,000 (£30,000) cash from her home during a raid, much of it in US dollars or €500 notes. She.. saying that the cash was for daily household expenses. She claimed that she was a victim of her former boyfriend, and that she had been duped by him. Marbella is only the best-known of dozens of similar cases around Spain, where local government corruption has been fuelled by a decade-long construction boom.
UNQUOTE
If you do not live here you can laugh and go on your way.
Errors & omissions,
broken links, cock ups, over-emphasis, malice [ real or imaginary ] or whatever;
if you find any I am open to comment.
Email me atMike
Emery.
All financial contributions are cheerfully accepted. If you want to keep it
private, use my PGP Key.
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Updated on Friday, 08 March 2019 13:08:24