Marbella Corruption Trials Highlight Spain’s Shame
The trial of 95 former VIP’s and high wealth individuals involved in the so called Malaya corruption case has got under way in Malaga’s Provincial court and is expected to last up to a year.
Marbella’s former head of town planning Juan Antonio Roca is alleged to have been the mastermind behind the scandal. Roca a friend and business associate of the late Jesus Gill the convicted embezzler and disgraced president of Atletico Madrid is also implicated in the aptly named “Goldfinger” investigation which centres on the sale and redevelopment of the former home of James Bond actor Sean Connery.
Roca who allegedly was on the dole in the early 1990’s before moving to Marbella, has in recent time as town planner amassed a reported fortune in excess of 136 million Euro’s, all this whist on a civil servants pay. His portfolio is said to include an art collection put at 27 million, three Palaces in Madrid, country estates in Cadiz and Los Alcazares, hotels in Huelva and Los Alcazares plus pure bred horses, numerous cars and jewellery.
He shares the dock with three ex Mayor’s, many former Town Hall Councillors, Businessmen, Lawyers and Construction Magnate’s. Following the dissolution of the Town Council by the National Government in 2006 over 20,000 portfolios have been prepared for presentation to the court.
The court will be told that the case stems from the 1991when Jesus Gill gained control of Marbella Town Hall and his shameful behaviour from that point has led to this disgrace. This high profile case will over the coming year will highlight a prime example of what fuelled Spain’s property boom in recent years and it is unlikely to be the last. It is expected that many mini Marbella’s will soon come to light as the drive to clean up the system and restore Spain’s battered image gathers momentum.
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Posted by Peter
on Oct 4 2010. Filed under Featured News, Politics.
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