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.

UK High Court dismisses Gibraltar challenge to new online gambling law

LONDON -- A High Court in the UK has dismissed a legal challenge from bookmakers to bring the licensing and taxation of online gambling companies under UK control if they offer their services to consumers in Britain, Reuters reports. Gambling companies with large UK customer bases such as Ladbrokes and William Hill have placed their operations offshore to benefit from lower taxes. A new tax regime is due to come into force on 1 December to force such companies to obtain a licence from the UK Gambling Commission and to pay a 15 percent tax online winnings from bets made by UK consumers. The case was brought by the Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association (GBGA), arguing that it contravened European legislation on free movement of services. The GBGA declined to say if it would appeal. (Source: Telecompaper)