THE Junta is facing criminal charges for falsifying documents over the controversial Algarrobico hotel affair.

The state prosecutor has begun a probe into claims by magistrate Jesus Rivera that officials “crudely and blatantly” altered documents to legitimize the project.

Officials could face criminal charges if, as claimed, the paperwork led to the construction of the illegal 411-room hotel inside the protected Cabo de Gata National Park.

As we reported last year Almeria court believes that the hotel went ahead despite the plot of land being classified as C1 – or incompatible for urban use.

Rivera alleges that a criminal offence took place when Junta documentation was anonymously altered by pen, making it D2 – or land eligible for development.

“This just shows the scandalous behaviour of the Junta, an administration which has little regard for the law and its citizens,” said Pilar Marcos, a spokeswoman for Greenpeace.

This is the second blow for the Junta over the Algarrobico hotel in recent weeks.

After dismissing developer Azata del Sol’s eighth appeal against its illegality, the Supreme Court ruled that the regional government’s zoning plans for the park were “illegal” and would be “devastating for the environment.”

The hotel stands unfinished after Rivera ordered work to stop in February 2006. The following month, the Junta promised to demolish the hotel, but has since been trying to find a way to legalise the 22-storey complex.

In February last year the environment department suggested the plot be declared “degradable.”

This would permit future rehabilitation work on existing buildings “for the development of tourist activities.”

However, judges in Granada have suspended these plans, saying they “could have devastating effects on the environment of the Cabo de Gata park.”

The regional government has announced it will appeal the Supreme Court’s decision.

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8 COMMENTS

  1. Mr Clegg, whose party has asked the police to investigate claims four Labour peers were prepared to change the law for cash, told Sky News that current punishments for wrongdoing were not strong enough.

    UK = corrupt. Period. Don’t move to here people.

  2. Blom, these old farts made some comments to a UK newspaper. No money changed hands – it is their comments that have caused all the outcry. Actions speak louder than words….

    Now compare that with any corruption story in Spain! Just about every mayor is in prison or is awaiting a court date, the Junta are corrupt (see this very article) and Spain can’t even get its land registry sorted out. There are tens of thousands of cases of “illegal properties” bought in good faith, and the list goes on. Not even the beautiful Alahambra could escape the corruption.

    In Spain people actually expect things to be corrupt and ‘scammy’ before they even set out, such is the endemic nature of corruption in Spain.

  3. I think Blom is an agent provocateur. Of course the whole of parliament is corrupt in the UK, why don’t you tell that to Robert (Pinky) and Stuart Allsop (Perky) they will tell you, you are intellectually challenged, which of course is newspeak for trying to hide the fact that they are parasitic chattering class plonkers.

    So Blom state factually all the houses built illegaly in the UK/Germany/Netherlands etc. that have been pulled down and the users fined to boot.

    All right just tell me one, just one.

  4. I used to live alongside the green belt in Simmondley, Derbyshire. To the rear of my home was a beautiful stone built farmhouse, alongside the house was a truly remarkable orchard. There was a stone built double garage and to round it off nicely, the property had a three acre paddock to the other side. In this paddock, the owners of this lovely and tasteful property, kept their horses. In the paddock there was a ramshackle field shelter, left by the previous owner. They tore it down and replaced it with exactly the same size, beautifully stone built twin stableblock, complete with a matching slate roof. It was magnificent. Then the planning office turned up, issued papers and forced them to tear this lovely building down, purely on bullshit technicalities. They fought in court but sadly lost. After it was all over, the people were approached by the council and informed “If you wish to now apply for the correct planning permissions, I can tell you that your application will now be successful”. And we call Spain. Britain is dying under crapppy red tape and what do we do ??? Move somewhere else and begin to criticize there !!! Grow uop, if you want to live here, try working with them instead of slagging them off. I was always taught “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones !”

  5. Merlin, you may be magic but you haven’t got an ounce of common sense. People are living here; they are trying hard. People move to Spain, pay a shopping 10% to purchase their house and carry out the legal fees, pay all their taxes and support the local economy and then are rewarded with ludicrous laws and red-tape that are designed to hinder their existence (just read this website for numerous examples). Keep throwing stones, people – if noone complains even less will get done.

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