News from Andalucia & Costa del Sol
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Ex-mayor freed after public pay his bail
As former Casares mayor leaves jail, former Manilva mayor stands trial
By David Eade
The former mayor of Casares, Juan Sánchez, has been freed from Alhaurín de la Torre prison on 200,000 euros' bail after members of the public raised the cash for him in just three days.
On Monday of last week that Sánchez was arrested along with his wife in a joint National Police and Guardia Civil operation at his Sabinillas, Manilva home. Eleven people in all have been implicated of whom seven were detained. Sr Sánchez faces charges of town planning corruption, fraud, money laundering and involvement with the Russian mafia.
Sr Sánchez (IU) was mayor of Casares for many years before standing down to become president of the association of town halls of the western Costa del Sol. After last year's local elections he left that post and took up another mandate as the councillor for institutional relations and housing in Casares. Following his arrest he was suspended from his post.
The operation ordered by a judge at Estepona's court was codenamed ‘Majestic' after the property company alleged to be at the heart of the case. When Sr Sánchez was mayor he allowed the Majestic Group to build a large urbanisation at Casares Costa. The court has embargoed hundreds of properties in Casares and neighbouring Estepona.
Two British women, 71 and 62, injured in golf cart fall
Britons battle for '€490m in overpaid inheritance tax'
NEWS Staff Reporter
TWO British women, aged 71 and 62, were injured on Tuesday when their golf cart fell down into a 10-metre ravine at a golf course in Alhaurín el Grande.
Firefighters received the call at 11.50am and responded to the Alhaurín Golf course, where they found the women and the golf cart stuck in two-metre-high overgrowth at the bottom of the ravine, said officials from the Málaga Firefighting Consortium.
With the help of course staff the firefighters removed the women on stretchers.
The 71-year-old was airlifted to hospital in an 061 emergency helicopter while the 62-year-old was taken by ambulance.
The exact nature and severity of the women's injuries were not divulged.
The cause of the accident is not known.
Mixed news for Gibraltar's air links
EasyJet cuts Liverpool flights but Monarch increases service to Manchester
By David Eade
GIBRALTARIANS and others who use the Rock's airport have received mixed news affecting air links with the northwest of England and East Midlands airport.
The Gibraltar government said it regrets the announcement from easyJet that services from Liverpool will discontinue from the end of October 2012. This is a commercial decision taken by easyJet, said officials. Despite conversations with the airline to try and redress the situation, the decision proved to be conclusive.
The government added that it then set about to try and maintain capacity from the northwest of the UK to Gibraltar and is pleased to confirm that Monarch Airlines is to increase capacity on the Manchester-Gibraltar route for the winter season of 2012, where the airline will operate four flights per week, which will continue as a minimum all year round.
The government also noted with regret that services from East Midlands Airport in the UK operated by bmibaby will discontinue as from September 2012 due to the closure of the airline. However, the government confirmed that "it has acted immediately to ensure the continuation of services by another airline from East Midlands to Gibraltar as from the start of the summer season of 2013, the details of which will be announced in due course".
HOMES SCAM
Illegal-home owners targeted by professional fraudsters, warns SOHA
By Dave Jamieson
HOMEOWNERS in the Axarquía who are battling to have their properties legalised by the Junta de Andalucía are being targeted with scams, according to a pressure group.
Save Our Homes Axarquía (SOHA) says unscrupulous professionals including some lawyers, architects, engineers and economists are trying to cash in on the sector.
There are about 60,000 homes in the province of Málaga whose future is uncertain after they were found to have been built illegally. About a third are in the Axarquía and are affected by a Junta decree earlier this year which could go some way towards legalising them.
However SOHA, which represents over 400 property owners, alleges that many of the advertisements appearing in English-language publications offering professional help through the red tape and legalities are simply there in the hope of defrauding foreign residents.
The group's president, Phillip Smalley, says that the problem has arisen because many of these advertisers are falsely claiming to be working as agents of the Junta de Andalucía and even using the Junta's logo in their advertisements.
Climber dies in 60-metre fall at El Chorro
Her climbing partner was left dangling on the cliff and was rescued
By Oliver McIntyre
A 29-YEAR-OLD Málaga woman fell 60 metres to her death while rock climbing at El Chorro in Álora at the weekend.
The woman's climbing partner, a 24-year-old man also from Málaga, was left dangling from a rope on the cliff face in the accident, the exact causes of which are being investigated.
The man called for help at 11.35am on Saturday, reporting that the woman, Ana Seijas Vega, had fallen and he was stuck on a cliff in the Los Frontales zone, near a spot known as the Antrax ascent.
Firefighters and the Guardia Civil mountain rescue team, along with other emergency crews, responded to the scene and spent three hours recovering the victim's body and rescuing her climbing partner, F.J.V.G., who was uninjured.
Aena fuels passenger revolt over hand luggage
By Dave Jamieson
Spanish airports operator bans airlines form charging for duty-free carry-on items
Air passengers who find themselves being charged for carrying duty-free purchases in addition to their hand luggage have been asked to denounce the airline. Spain's airports operator says such penalties contravene the country's air navigation laws.
Last Friday, the airlines received a strongly-worded warning from Aena regarding bags containing goods purchased in airports. It says that no charge can be made to passengers who attempt to board a flight carrying these in addition to their hand luggage.
The body, which operates 47 airports in Spain, says that carrying purchases made in duty-free outlets in airports free of charge is "obligatory for all airlines without exception". The statement says that such goods must be properly packed and within weight limits, "regardless of the number of packages". It adds that article 97 of Spain's law of air navigation states that the only exceptions are objects which pose a security risk, and those whose size or shape make them unsuitable for carrying in the cabin.