UP THE GIL TO GAUCÍN

The 1990s were the years of the GIL era on the Costa del Sol. Marbella’s maverick mayor, the late Jesús Gil y Gil, made the streets of the jet set resort safe to walk whilst the criminals were emptying the town hall’s coffers.

Gil and GIL eventually brought Marbella to its knees. His cohorts elsewhere on the coast carried out similar hatchet jobs on towns such as Estepona, where the son of Jesús ruled.

Up the hill in Gaucín they did not need Jesús Gil as they had Francisco Corbacho. The local doctor turned mayor won election in 1999 as an independent but was supported by first PSOE and then the Partido Andalucista.

After the last local elections PSOE and the Partido Popular formed a coalition to keep Corbacho out. This unlikely alliance soon unravelled and last September Francisco Ruíz split ranks with the PP, was installed as mayor backed by the Partido Andalucista, with – surprise, surprise – Corbacho as his deputy and the power behind his throne.

Eventually the wheels of justice have caught up with Corbacho. He escaped a jail term but was barred from office for misappropriating town hall funds and obstructing justice. He was able to continue as a councillor (and deputy mayor) whilst his case went to appeal. The higher court upheld the original decision and last week he finally resigned.

Now it emerges that the Málaga prosecutor is seeking an 18 month jail term and a ten year bar from holding office for Corbacho. Also implicated in the case is the municipal architect Francisco Arenas who faces the same penalties along with councillors, past and present, three from the current PA ruling group.

The case revolves around the issuing of ten licences by the mayor and the architect to build on land that is zoned as non-urban. The architect is involved because it is alleged that he approved of the issuing of the licences even though they infringed the planning law.

The news broke days after the socialist opposition at Gaucín town hall denounced the Partido Popular mayor, Francisco Ruíz, for allowing two large mansions to be built on rustic land both owned by PA councillors. One is a house of 400 square metres that is being constructed for a family member of - Francisco Corbacho.

Slowly but surely justice is catching up with Corbacho. A resident of Gaucín told me that when he made alterations to his home he had to make a payment to the mayor – I am sure it was for a legal licence! I also remember his father in despair when he had to mortgage his farm home to raise the money to back pay Corbacho’s municipal debt.

I have raised this matter before because when living in the neighbouring municipality I supported the Partido Andalucista as it stood up against the local socialist ‘mismanagement’. Now I would vote for Izquierda Unida as both PSOE and the PA locally are tainted with corruption. Here lies the problem. I accept politicians are human but when all parties seemingly act illegally eventually you loose faith in democracy. When that time comes, then the options are very dangerous indeed.

(To whom it may concern – Gil is pronounced Hill in English)

NO INUNDEN NUESTRO VALLE

“Es correcto, se están llevando a cabo trabajos de prospección de suelo para saber si el lugar reúne las condiciones para construir un pantano, el muro de contención estaría ubicado un poco antes del Dorado, con lo que probablemente el arroyo de las gallinas quedaría inundado.

Desde hace un par de semanas estamos detrás del tema, reuniendoinformación sobre el posible proyecto ya que todo esta bastante oculto y en los boletines oficiales no aparece nada al respecto, con lo que por ahora todo hace indicar que son catas de suelo y mediciones para la viabilidad del proyecto.

La información extraoficial que tenemos es que el agua del pantano estaría destinada a Sotogrande, las urbanizaciones de la costa y el posible campo de golf de san pablo, de todas formas ya hemos informado a los grupos ecologistas para investigar conjuntamente y estar al tanto.”

The above message from Fran Gómez of the Izquierda Unida in Jimena is the news that the residents of Arroyo de las Gallinas did not want to hear. There have been rumours that plans were afoot to turn the valley in to a giant reservoir but until the drilling machines turned up nobody wanted to believe it.

The Arroyo de la Gallinas is a beautiful secluded valley that starts in Gaucín then crosses the boundary between Málaga and Cádiz and runs for several kilometres in Jimena de la Frontera. The plans have been kept secret but the plan is plain enough – to send water to Sotogrande and the Costa del Sol with a large dam wall by the El Dorado farm school.

If the valley is flooded all the people who live and draw their livelihood there will be forced out.

Out will go ‘Capricho’ – a man in his 80s whose family have farmed the valley for generations and live there still.

Out will go ‘Lute’ – who tends thousands of orange trees on large plantations and lives in the valley with his young family.

Out will go Dominic – whose family have lived in the valley for 12 years – he pleads: “I don’t want to loose my home.”

The problem has been the scheme to destroy the valley and their homes has been kept secret - none of those living there have been consulted. The majority are fighting back by withholding permission for the drilling teams to enter their land. Now, with this dreadful scheme made public, they can fight the nameless bureaucrats out in the open.

HOW MUCH?

It has been revealed that the Chief Minister of Gibraltar earns just under £100,000 per year.

Each of the Rock’s MPs in the new Parliament that has replaced the House of Assembly receives £26,042 per annum.

The Chief Minister receives £26,042 as an MP plus an additional £71,179 for his head of government role, making a total of £97,221 per annum.

Ministers, i.e. all the MPs on the governing GSD benches, now earn in excess of £74,000.

That may sound a lot but the Chief Minister, the Minister of Justice Daniel Feetham and opposition shadow minister Fabian Picardo are just three of the top lawyers in Gibraltar’s Parliament. As their fee for taking a client’s phone call is probably around £26,000 you might consider they come at a cheap price.

Chief Minister Peter Caruana certainly thinks so. He told Gibraltar’s Parliament: “I think the Chief Minister's salary represents excellent value for money for the taxpayers of Gibraltar.”

Well he was hardly likely to say "I think you are all being ripped off", was he?

Of course it is for the people of Gibraltar to say whether they think their politicians are value for money or not. However they do preside over 30,000 people and a vibrant economy.

Now take the mayor of Gaucín Francisco Ruíz. He is proposing that he should be paid 64,719 euros a year for running a small village.

The Partido Popular councillor took over the post with the support of the Partido Andalucista in September after a vote of no-confidence in socialist mayor Teodoro de Molino.

For his part De Molino says this figure is ridiculous for a village with 1,732 residents.

Indeed it is – but if Caruana and his gang get whiff of it they might consider they come at too cheap a price and then they’ll want a pay rise too!