Much has been said and written about corruption in Marbella. We know the city had three consecutive mayors arrested for corruption related to constructions of property developments and money laundering for Russian criminal gangs.

This is so incredible it bears repeating:

Three mayors of the same town arrested for corruption!

If you think about it, this alone is quite scandalous. How many cities do you know in your home country that had THREE mayors arrested and sentenced to prison for illegal activity.

Note, that I am not talking about the little charming attempts of bribery like a 50 Euro note in the passport whilst in a traffic control after having had a beer or two. Nor am I talking about this dinner with the consejal to speed up the processing of your “licencia de apertura”.

No, I am talking about multi-million Euro theft . I am talking about a politician of Marbella, namely Antonio Roca, becoming one of the richest men in Spain by “doing little favours” in return for “financial support”.

Now, I thought that is already to much to be true. But apparently this seams to be just the tip of the iceberg.

Imagine this scene (turn up the music): A phone shop in Spain. The cabins are empty some guys lurking around not having much to do it seams. A client enters asking for a phone cabin, he wants to phone home. He sits down in the cabin and suddenly the whole place drives mad.

Police cars stop in front of door, officers with machine guns in the entrance, the lurking guys suddenly have guns in their hands, one pointing at that clients head, whilst another man is saying something down the lines : You have the right to shut up and you better do.

Fantasy? No, not at all. Something like that, must have been the scene when Paolo Pesce a member of the Naples mafia, the camorra, and on the run since 17 years was arrested in a phone shop in Fuengirola this week.

Paolo Pesce arrested

To top it all up: An Italian newspaper. La Rupubblica, claims to have information about the Italian mafia having major interests in constructions of property developments on the Costa del Sol

Mafia interests on the Costa del Sol

I think its time that the Spanish authorities get their act together and clean this mess up. Why have they been so lazy about it? Turning a blind eye in favour of an ever booming real estate business?

Too busy celebrating Marbella as the European Beverly Hills? Well, the party is over, who cleans up after?

Regards

Wolfgang Brand

P.S: You can turn the music down now.