Map of Corruption in Spain (to date)

Avalanch of cases make it difficult for media to follow

Click HERE to link to page

MADRID -- On Wednesday last week El Mundo published an interactive map of corruption in Spain. It is in Spanish and we have not been able to translate it, but if you click on your Autonomous Community, you will see how many and where the cases are. It is an impressive document that doesn't need a great deal of Spanish to understand. For some of the major cases, please see articles that have appeared here: Who's who in the largest PP corruption cases, Spain loses billions on tax evasion and errors, Pope Francis: "Corruption is worse than sin", Competition authorities to fine car dealers for price fixing, or just click on CORRUPTION on the label cloud in the sidebar.

Campo de Gibraltar suffered 94.1% of last summer's forest fires in the province

Poniente winds and arson were the main problems

Near San Roque
(andaluciainformacion.es)

CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR -- Thirty separate forest fires burned 394.21 hectares of brushland in the Campo area last summer. There was at least one incident in six of the seven municipalities, the exception being La Línea. This is according to a recent report by INFOCA, the province's fire prevention unity. The province itself was impacted by a total of 69 fires, just over 6% of Andalucía's total. In terms of the whole province, most of the man-provoked fires happened in the Campo area, particularly in San Roque, where the annual arson count continues unabated. There was also an arson attack in the Rio de la Miel section of Algeciras and the perpetrator was arrested shortly after. In fact, arson is believed to be one of the main reasons the Campo de Gibraltar has neared the top of the list for annual forest fire incidents.

Judge Alaya, the new star judge

Said to be 'horrified' by her popularity

(infolibre.es)

SEVILLE -- First there was Judge Garzón, who was pretty much ousted from his job in a major court in Madrid for getting too close to unseemly behaviour by some politicians (he had also been a Minister in the Zapatero PSOE government). Now there's Judge Mercedes Alaya, who is handling several major cases out of her Seville courtroom. Among these are the ERE Case (about dodgy employment dismissals), the false billing for adult education courses known as the Facturas Falsas case, etc. etc. In the ERE case, she has already officially charged 299 people, about which there are many complaints, mainly from the Junta de Andalucía (majorly implicated in the case) and the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Andalucía (High Court in Andalucía), her boss. Another significant case is that regarding the sale of the Real Betis Balompié football club; and a further one is that of Mercasevilla, from which is derived the very serious ERE case but considered separately, a case of extorsion against two business people who wanted to set up a catering school on land belonging to the city. In the meantime, Judge Alaya appears in the media, usually with photographs similar to the one illustrating this item.

Tax inspectors checking on Spanish football stars

Ramos, Casillas, Alonso, Iniesta, Xavi and Piqué, among the watched

'Gerard Piqué for H.E. by Mango'

MADRID -- According to El Mundo, several of Spain's most international footballers are being investigated because it is believed that many of the companies they have created to exploit their image register very little or no trading activity. However, as the result of a so-called 'political pact', since 1996 footballers can receive 15% of their club salaries via companies controlling their image rights. Nevertheless, the tax authorities are of the opinion that most of these companies have no real commercial activity of any kind. The remaining 85% of the remuneration is taxed at the tyop rate (56% in Catalonia and 52% in most of the rest of the country), while the exceptions (the 15%) are taxed at company rates, which was at 30% in 2014. Hacienda (the Treasury) is not seeking to charge anyone with tax evasion or anything similar as there is no indication of intentional fraud, but is demanding that the players pay the difference between one tax rate and the other for the last four years. Experts consulted by El Mundo think that Hacienda's change of mind is nothing more than an 'excess of zeal' on its part.

Education in Spain, by Arturo Pérez-Reverte (or, Things Haven't Changed Much...)

He calls various Education Ministers 'imbeciles'

MADRID -- (This article first appeared in the old JimenaPulse blog on February 2, 2008) In his column in a Sunday magazine, El Semanal, Spanish Royal Academician of Letters and highly successful novelist Arturo Pérez- Reverte (photo) has raised a series of matters regarding the education system in Spain. In speaking to a couple of teachers this morning, Prospero got the impression that it has also raised the hackles of the profession. Among other things and in his often magnificent language, he attacks successive governments, Ministers of Education and their ever-changing laws, calling them ‘imbeciles’ in the headline. He bemoans the absence of Latin, Greek, Geography, History and other subjects in today’s curriculum. He ridicules the Councillor for Education of the Junta de Andalucía, whom, he says, has blamed the ‘underdevelopment’ of Andalucía on ‘historical deficiencies’. He also ridicules the Minister for Education (or 'Ministress', as he calls her in his battle against political correctness), who has said that the ‘educational system in Spain not only does things well, but does them very well’. These despite the Pisa Report that places this country’s system very near the bottom of the European Community (and which puts Andalucía at the very bottom). Does this sound at all familiar to British expats? The article is too long to translate here (we make no promises,  but it is possible we will have time later, if there’s any interest among our readers), but we have decided to publish it in Spanish anyway:

Ceramic poppies all sold out

LONDON: From the Tower of London website: 

"We are delighted to announce that we have sold all the poppies. We do realise that this news may be a disappointment for those unable to purchase one of these unique pieces of art. We will be confirming orders in the next few days and should any further poppies become available we will put details on our website.

32 arrested in a new anti-corruption operation

Operación Madeja covers seven regional communities

One of many

SEVILLA -- Under the orders of Judge Mercedes Alaya, the Guardia Civil carried out a massive operation in seven different autonomous regions but centered in Seville. Called Operación Madeja or Operación Enredadera (approx. Operation Network or Vine, as in climbing plant, respectively -- the media has it under either name) resulted in 32 arrests on charges principally regarding bribes on construction projects. Among the arrested are politicians of PP, IU and Coalición Canaria), all level civil servants and employees of Councils, Diputaciones and the Ministry of Development, among others. Charges range from 'arranging' public contracts to crimes such as money laundering, false trading, tax evasion and belonging to a criminal organization.//Operation Network had been under way for 15 months and expanded to 13 provinces (Sevilla, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza, Badajoz and Lanzarote).

So what exactly happened in Catalonia on Sunday?

Is Catalonia ready to become an independent state?

Queuing to vote in Barcelona.
Photo courtesy of Simon Harris
via SandraInSpain

BARCELONA -- Here is a very good personal article by Sandra Piddock on a subject that hardly, if at all, got reported on in New CampoPulse. It is titled Never mind the percentages – look at the people who turned out to vote!. One of the sentences in Sandra's personal view of the situation there: "Forget percentages, forget the numbers, forget the negative attitude that ‘60% didn’t vote.’ The words will fade from memory, but the image of those snaking queues of Catalans will probably stay with me for ever." Any comparison to Scotland's recent venture is purely coincidental, if there is one at all.

Have a Monday morning laugh, cat lovers!

Santana Books ceases trading at the end of this year

Fantastic discounts on the best books about Spain

SPAIN -- The reason this piece is datelined 'Spain' instead of Mijas-Pueblo, where they're based, is that the news that Santana Books is closing at the end of the year will affect English-speakers all over the country. Self-described as Publishers of Essential Books on Spain, they (and the authors) have given us some of the best books on the country anywhere. Titles include You and the Law in Spain (by David Searle), now in its 16th updated edition, I believe, and a veritable bible on the convoluted laws of hereabouts. Other titles: A Guide to Wild Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar (by John Butler),  Apartment Gardening Mediterranean Style (by Clodagh and Dick Handscombe) ... you can check them out here; they're offering fantastic discounts on most of them, so get moving!