Europe’s best
Julen’s plight moves
Spain
One of the biggest news stories across
Spain during January was the plight of
a two-year-old from Málaga who
became trapped 100 metres below
ground. As Soltalk went to press over a
week after the accident, hopes of
finding the child alive were fading, but
the complex rescue mission was
continuing 24 hours a day.
Málaga is one of 20 cities short-listed to
win the title European Best Destination
2019. The organisers EBD describe
Málaga as mixing modernity and
tradition with culture, beach, gastronomy
and amazing events. Vote for Málaga
until February 5 at
www.europeanbestdestinations.com/euro
pean-best-destinations-2019/
Brits acquitted
Three British men accused of rape have
been acquitted by an Alicante court after
their alleged victim failed to show up for
their trial. She had previously told police
she had sex with one of the men on
October 30, 2011, and was later raped by
the other two. The men had denied the
attack and accused the woman of filing a
false report, but the Prosecutor had
called for them to be jailed for 30 years.
Email alert
National Police have warned of an email
which appears to come from the Interior
Ministry ordering the recipient to appear
for questioning. The fake message is
designed to unleash a virus which can
steal sensitive information from the
recipient’s computer and investigators
advise users to ignore any email from
[email protected] and
[email protected], plus any
apparently from Correos. Police say such
summons would never be sent by email.
€500 ends
The Bank of Spain joined most other
national banks in the EU by ending the
issue of new €500 notes in January over
concerns they “could facilitate illicit
activities.” The high-value notes account
for just 2.4% of notes in circulation, but
over 20% of the total value. The 521
million €500 notes still in use across the
Eurozone remain legal tender.
Julen Roselló was with his parents on a
private estate in Totalán on January 14
and the family was preparing a paella
for lunch when the toddler
disappeared down a borehole which
had been drilled in search of water.
Julen’s father said he saw the boy fall
into the hole and rushed to grab him
but his fingers only brushed against the
child as he disappeared downwards.
The entrance to the borehole is just 25
centimetres in diameter which ruled
out the chance of any adult being
lowered into the void, so a massive
rescue operation was started. A camera
identified a blockage 70 metres down
which prevented any food or water
being sent down to the child.
However, early on, some strands of
hair were found and identified as
Julen’s by DNA testing while sweets
which he had been carrying were
spotted in images from about 70
metres down. Spain then held its
breath for days as two wider shafts
began to be drilled downwards, parallel
to the borehole, in a technically
complex operation hindered by the
instability of the ground.
Meanwhile, the toddler’s parents
waited at the surface, supported by
trauma experts and psychologists. It
was another blow for the family from
the El Palo district of Málaga whose
older child, three-year-old Oliver, died
suddenly from heart failure while
walking along a beach in April 2017.
Queen Letizia telephoned Totalán’s
mayor to offer her support to Julen’s
family while Andalucía’s new president
Juan Manuel Moreno visited the site to
meet the hundreds of volunteers from
across Spain and abroad who were
involved in the rescue operation.
The land where Julén disappeared is
owned by family members of his
parents. Antonio Sánchez Gámez owns
Perforations Triben in Benamocarra,
and admits that he drilled the bore
hole about a month earlier. However,
he told reporters that he had sealed the
entrance “with a stone” when no water
was found.
Court appearances for
Ronaldo and Alonso
Cristiano Ronaldo and his former
teammate at Real Madrid Xabi Alonso
both appeared in a Madrid court last
month in connection with allegations
of tax fraud. Both faced possible fines,
as well as suspended sentences which
can be imposed for two years or less
for first time offenders.
Ronaldo accepted fines totalling €18.8
million and a 23-month suspended
jail term to settle his case. The
Portugal and Juventus footballer pled
guilty to the charges which related to
his time at Real Madrid and included
defrauding authorities out of €14.8
million in unpaid taxes generated
from image rights between 2011 and
2014.
10
In 2017, the Madrid prosecutor claimed
Ronaldo used a shell company in the
Virgin Islands to “hide his total income
from Spain’s tax office.” It was alleged
that the player “intentionally” failed to
declare €28.4 million income related to
image rights, and declared €11.5 million
of earnings from 2011-14 when his true
income was almost €43 million.
Earlier, Xabi Alonso faced his own case
of tax fraud, in which he is accused of
defrauding Spanish tax authorities of
about €2 million from image rights
during 2010-12, which he denies. He
could be sentenced to five years in
prison and ordered to pay a fine of €4
million, in addition to the amount
allegedly defrauded.