Dozens convicted in Marbella corruption scandal

Roca, who managed the city's planning department in the 1990s, became one of Spain's richest men before he was accused of masterminding the corruption.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24405612

I was reading this in the Spanish press and it seems many got away scot free, others got extremely lenient sentences. The posts that followed the article, not surprisingly, are very angry at the sentences, and the lack of sentences. One guy reckons he knows someone that got two years for stealing a mobile, the same as one of these got for stealing millions.

As much as anything, it was because Jesus Gil got so many seats with his GIL party (19 out of 25 in 1991), which pissed off the PPSOE. Luckily for Gil, he passed on to his reward before the mainstream politicians could finish him off. The ghastly Roca and his mates being left holding the patata.
Does this kind of corruption, illegal houses, payoffs, handshakes and pork not happen in other towns and cities across Andalucía and further along?.
Why, yes.

Most of the crooked Developers and Lawyers were aquitted. One major player the ex-Mayor and sleazebag Julián Muñoz only got 2 years. The prosecution were asking for 10. All those Developers who got off will be back when the market picks up.

Full list of sentences here.

http://www.diariosur.es/20131004/loc...310041222.html

Exactly. Whilst the headlines were all about Marbella, tinpot Mayors were giving the go ahead to construct hundreds of thousands of illegal homes throughout Andalucía.

AFAIK most of the properties in Marbella are now legal.

And all this time I'd been led to believe this kind of thing only happens in the US.
Corruption in Spain? Really? never heard of such a thing.

and not just in Spain

I know of a council's Director of Planning who was in the pocket of a developer, blind sided the council into accepting a development that entered the Green Belt and told them it was their fault when they found out at a subsequent development on the same site.
When the Chief Exec of council found out (at about midnight) he got up early, "met" the DofP in reception and suggested his resignation be rendered before close of play that day.
The deputy DofP who was being groomed to take over was by-passed and eventually retired a very bitter man.

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