Footpath preparation
Ban gambling ads,
says ombudsman
Spain’s citizens’ rights ombudsman has
called for a ban on commercial
gambling advertising. Francisco
Fernández Marugán, a socialist Deputy
and economist, has also demanded an
overhaul of gambling regulations with
a review of licences, laws and sanctions
related to the sector.
Work continued in Nerja during May to
stabilise the cliffs west of Playa Burriana in
preparation for the partial reopening of the
footpath along the coast known as the
Paseo de Carabineros. The €600,000
project includes general cleaning of the
area and provision of rubbish collection.
The path was closed to the public 17 years
ago after rock falls on some stretches made
it dangerous.
Suicide bid
Local police officers in Vélez-Málaga were
able to prevent a 16-year-old throwing
himself from the terrace of his home in
Almayate last month. The alert was raised
by the family of the youth who is reported
to be undergoing psychological treatment.
The young man was transferred to hospital
in Vélez-Málaga accompanied by one of
the officers.
Campaign delayed
Ciudadanos Cómpeta had to postpone the
start of their electoral campaign last month
after the wife of their candidate for mayor
went into labour with their third child.
Manuel Vega was standing on a ladder
putting up posters when his wife called to
alert him and he rushed her to hospital in
Vélez-Málaga. The new arrival, Nacho, was
born a few hours later and weighed in at a
healthy 3.4 kilos.
Sky divers
Sky divers of the Spanish Air Force are the
first attraction to be announced for next
month’s air show in Torre del Mar. The
acrobatic group were due to jump over the
town last year but windy conditions forced
them to cancel. The air show, which has
become an extremely popular annual event
with 300,000 people attending the final
day in 2018, will be held this year from July
12 to 14.
In a statement released by his office
last month, Fernández Marugán said,
“The phenomenon of spreading
gaming without control, especially if
the players are minors, has
characteristics similar to those of
tobacco or drug use.” He added that he
had received complaints from the
public about, “the constant and
continuous presence on television and
online media” of advertisements by
bookmakers.
Before April’s General Election, the
socialist government of Pedro Sánchez
promised to introduce restrictions
similar to those placed on tobacco in
2005. These now include a ban on the
sponsorship of tobacco products, as
well as all kinds of advertising and
promotion in the media, with only a
few exceptions.
Spain’s gambling regulator, Dirección
General de Ordenación del Juego, says
that gambling operators’ marketing
spend grew by more than 50 per cent
year-on-year to around €80 million in
the first half of 2018.
Fernández Marugán proposal would
allow two important exceptions: games
arranged by the State Administration
(SETAE) and the Spanish Organisation
of the Blind (ONCE). At the very least,
he wants an extension of the times at
which advertising is prohibited and
rules which prevent celebrities from
promoting gambling.
Environmental charges
faced by Nerja
Two Nerja mayors and six councillors
past and present have been cited to
appear in court in Torrox by the judge
investigating alleged fraud and
environmental offences. The enquiry is
part of Operation Vastum which began
in 2017 into municipalities of more
than 15,000 residents which do not
have sewage systems compliant with
European directives.
José Alberto Armijo, Nerja’s Partido
Popular mayor between 1995 and 2015,
is expected to be the first to be
questioned, followed by the present
mayor Rosa Arrabal of the PSOE. As
well as the other serving and former
councillors, two representatives of
Aguas de Narixa, which supplies the
town’s drinking water, have also been
ordered to appear.
The environmental allegations were
highlighted on television in March
when underwater pictures of the
seabed off Nerja’s coast illustrated how
the dumping of untreated sewage has
had a devastating effect. Environ-
mentalists claim the practice has
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destroyed flora and fauna, including
half of a colony of protected molluscs.
The possibility of fraud was raised by
the pressure group Ecologists in Action
who say that, since 2011, regional
legislation has allowed town halls to
charge residents a fee for sanitation as
part of each household’s annual IBI
payment. Although the amount goes
finally to the Junta de Andalucía, the
ecologists say municipalities without the
necessary infrastructure to purify waste
water could be charging the fee illegally.
Cash mystery
None of the three Lithuanian men who
received minor injuries when their van
came off the A-92 in Granada last
month has claimed property found in
the vehicle by police. Officers were
staggered to find about €1 million in
cash and an investigation was opened
into its origins. Legally, a maximum of
€100,000 in cash can be transported
without permission, but this drops to
€10,000 if it is brought into Spain
from another country, in an effort to
combat money laundering.