News May 26th

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The sexual abuse case which rocked the island last year took another dramatic turn last week as the renowned goalkeeper, Santiago Canizares, was accused of having sexual relations with a minor.  The scandal broke in February last year when at least two women claimed they had been sexually abused by the mentalist, Tomas A.R., at one of his “clinics” in San Jordi.
  Mentalism is the art of appearing to have supernatural or extrasensory mind-based powers. These include mind-reading, psychokinesis, telekinesis, pedagogary, fortune telling, remote vision, and more.
  The judge hearing the case decided to detain the accused, known as el Brujo (the witch doctor), while the investigation continued.  During the following three months at least 15 more “patients” came forward, all aged between 11 and 22 claiming they had been the victims of sexual aggression.  All were living in Ibiza, Valencia and Madrid at the time of the incidents, cities where Tomas A.R had “clinics”. 
  The accused had offered his help as a psychologist to some football teams on the island and in Valencia, although he did not possess any official qualification in the field. He had worked with players from Ibiza Football Club, as well as the first division outfit, Valencia.  This is where he met Canizares, the international keeper, who became part of his group.  The names of a number of sportsmen were banded about when the case first broke, and Canizares was questioned by police just weeks ago.  However, he is now to be officially interrogated again, in the company of his lawyer, although it is not thought he will have to come to the island. 
  Tomas A.R. is said to have had a mental hold over a number of these women and had convinced many of them, who were already having psychological problems, that their salvation lay in having sexual relations with people who held special powers.  He held private parties where he convinced the girls to have sex with some of the men present, including Tomas himself.  Canizares was at a number of these parties and one girl has claimed she had sex with him on two separate occasions, both times when she was underage.  However, it is looking more and more likely that the goalkeeper, who plays for Valencia, was unaware of the unstable mental condition of the women present and was merely just another pawn in the sick games played by the defendant, merely believing he had “chatted the girls up”.
  A representative for the player said he was the victim of false accusations and would co-operate fully with the investigation in order to help to clear his name.  He claimed that the name of Canizares was being mentioned because he was famous and would bring the case more notoriety and to a wider audience.  After the story was revealed in the Ultima Hora on Thursday, all of the national papers covered the news the following day.
  Coincidentally, Canizares is due to get married next month in Ibiza.  The ceremony will take place at his house close to Talamanca, and will be attended by several famous footballers who have not been chosen to play in the European Championships this summer.
  Tomas A.R. refused to testify during the first year in prison, saying that his grave mental state preventing him from doing so.  However, in March of this year he broke his silence and said the accusations were part of a con plot by the women, whom he had merely tried to help.  They are accusing him of sexual abuse, some on more than 20 separate occasions.        

AROUND THE ISLAND

Union Complaints
The Trade Union, CCOO, has made an official complaint against Grupo Playa Sol (GPS), the hotel group owned by the controversial hotelier, Fernando Ferré.  Representatives claim up to 300 foreign workers are being exploited having signed contracts which would earn them around €320 per month, in several of the company’s hotels including the Nautilus and Costa Sur in the bay of San Antonio, as well as the Mare Nostrum in Talamanca. 
They claim there are far more cases of people affected, but that it has been difficult to quantify due to the fact that many of these staff members are moved from hotel to hotel depending on where they are scheduled to work that day.
Most of those affected are from Poland and Romania, the majority of whom have signed contracts in Czech which they were unable to understand.  Many are paid as little as €320 a month for a six day week, in addition to food, and accommodation which many have complained is in cramped conditions, with four people having to share rooms of only 10-12 square metres.   
The Union admitted they had received reports that after their plight was revealed last week by the Diario de Ibiza, many had now signed improvements to their contracts, entitling them to between €800 and €900 every month.  However, the situation is far from ideal and CCOO seems certain to try and put an end to the sorrowful conditions of some of the neediest on the island.   
Ferré currently owns just over 60 hotels on the island, amounting to around 14 per cent of the total beds available.
Wednesday saw inspectors from the Employment Ministry visiting both the Costa Sur and San Remo in the bay of San Antonio.  They took away copies of several Czech contracts, which they said would be studied to check their legality.
The president of the Hotel Federation, Roberto Hortensius, said he was mystified as to how such abuse could occur in Spain, and said the system was failing some of the most unfortunate.
The Diario de Ibiza also revealed, over the weekend, that several of the hotels owned by the group which have closure orders against them, have once again opened their doors.  The Island Council announced on 30th March they would prohibit any of the establishments whose paperwork was not in order from opening, a ruling which has so far not been carried out.  Amongst those affected are the hotel Catalina in San Antonio, the Blue Star apartments and the Tropical Garden, none of which have been officially registered at the Island Council´s tourist department. 
The man himself released a statement on Friday denying any of his employees were working illegally.  He called his company, GPS, emblematic and added that he gave work to thousands of people, both Spanish and foreign, all year round, in Ibiza and Mallorca.  

Flats for Sale
By the end of the year there will be approximately 5,000 properties left unsold in the Balearics according to estimates from within the sector.  This is one of the lowest levels in Spain, due in part, to the already stringent building legislation in place on the island, as well as limited building land on all four of the islands.  The total is made up of 2,500 properties which are currently on the market, in addition to half of the 5,000 properties currently under development which are yet to be sold. 
Gabriel Oliver, president of the Association for Property Developers, revealed that the number of buildings still left to sell equated to the amount built during a six month period.  He confirmed that the deceleration in the market was much less pronounced than on the mainland, and added that it would affect around 3,000 workers in the sector by the end of the year. 
He continued that in his opinion the number of properties being built at present and the demand for these by the general public, were fairly comparable.  He said the real problem lay with the financial institutions that had tightened up their lending policies in response to the rising property costs.  
He finished off by revealing that the lower end of the market was suffering the most, whilst more exclusive properties were selling at a much more acceptable rate, mainly thanks to the British and German markets. 
The fall in construction was also starting to have a knock-on affect on businesses related to the industry.  The sale of building, plumbing and electrical materials fell by between 10-30 per cent according to sources, with the electrical group Millar reporting falls of around 15 per cent, which they say is linked directly to a decline in construction.  The number of unpaid bills has also tripled over the last year, with average payment time also increasing sharply.

Islam Teachings
Around 600 children currently living in Ibiza have asked for Islam to be studied in classrooms on the island, a call which has come via the different Muslim associations and mosques.  A spokesman for one of the groups said the move would help integrate the children into social society, as well as easing the conflict between the two separate lives currently being led by some children, at home and at school.  Saladino Costa explained that most of the children had been brought to the island by their parents and found it very difficult to fit into the new culture.  They therefore tended to form groups with other Muslim children.  This then led to problems, especially in the larger towns like Ibiza where there is far less social contact between neighbours, with the groups turning to petty crime and vandalism.
He added that the teaching of Islam in schools would make them feel more accepted and help in their integration. 

Obesity Claims
Dogs whose owners are obese are five times more likely to suffer from weight problems.  The study carried out at the University of Las Palmas said animals suffered the same problems as humans due to an increase in body fat, including higher levels of both cholesterol and triglyceride.  However, the link with heart-attacks was not as strong as in humans.  The head of the department in charge of the study, Jose Alberto Montoya, revealed that a biscuit given to a canine was similar to a hamburger for a human.  

Royal Promise
The head of the Port Authorities in the Balearics claimed last week that negotiations with Royal Caribbean about a weekly cruise stopping in Ibiza for a day during the winter months were in the “advanced stages”.  What does seem certain is that the American cruise company will dock a ship in the capital of Mallorca every week from December to March.  However what is not yet certain is whether the cruise will then carry on to Menorca or to Ibiza.  The company has already ruled out a stop in both, adding they were prepared to trial the route but that the continuation would very much depend on demand.

Foreign Births
The birth rate within the Balearics has continued to grow over the last few years thanks to an influx of immigrants to the islands.  In 2007 one in four new babies born was to a non-Spanish mother.  During the year a total of 11,778 babies were born on the four islands, 28 per cent of whom had a foreign mother.  This figure is up a remarkable 542 per cent from ten years ago, when just 502 babies were born to non-Spanish mothers.
The data released by the Institute of Statistics (Ibestat) showed the majority of births still occurred in Mallorca (78%), with Ibiza (15%) and Menorca (7%) still some way behind.

Bus Improvements
The Transport Minister, Albert Prats, announced last week the Consell was to cut several of the less used bus routes in an attempt to increase others.  He revealed there were some routes which transported less than 15 passengers every three months, a situation would could not economically be sustained for much longer.  He said that the environmental effects of running such routes would also need to be considered, adding that the bus service needed to be sustainable and that at present users were paying just 10 per cent of the running costs of all the routes.  One of the routes set to get the chop is that running from San Mateu through Santa Gertrudis to Santa Eulalia. 
He said the first step would be to map out a mobility plan using current data available, as well as gauging public opinion.  The costs of the project would then have to be calculated.  However, the Island Council would not be able to rely on money from the national Government, as this is only provided to improve installations and not services.  Prats revealed he would be asking for around €9 million to make improvements to all of the 250 bus stops on the island, which would include the installation of benches.   
The moves are all part of the Council’s ambitious plans to improve public transport on the island.    

Taxing Times
It seems businesses are not the only ones suffering from the recent economic squeeze, as the Tax Office revealed a year-on-year drop in the amount of tax collected during the first three months of the year.  Although the total increase was around 2.8 per cent up from last year, this was well down on the 18 per cent increase recorded in 2007. 
Although the IRPF (personal income tax) was up 9 per cent from last year, VAT on goods sold was well down (14.3%), not helped by a fall in the sale of tobacco, alcohol and fuel.   

HMS Albion
Friday saw the good ship HMS Albion sail into Ibiza harbour for a few days of R&R.  The nearly three hundred crew members stopped off in the capital for the weekend before continuing their journey down to Africa, where they had training camps in several countries including Nigeria and Sierra Leone.  The good, and not so good, of Ibiza were invited on the vessel while it was docked in Botafoch.  Those attending included Madrids´ ambassador on the island, Sofia Hernandez, the mayor of San Jose, Josep Mari Agustinet and Jose Ramon Serra Pilot, the Councillor for Tourism at the Town Hall of San Antonio.  

Land Deals
A consortium is to be set up over the next few months to begin to calculate the compensation required for those affected under the new Land Protection Plans introduced last month by the Balearic Government.  The institution has just six months to set up the group, whose job it will now be to reach an agreement with all of the land owners in the areas affected.  Two of the more problematic zones will be Roca Llisa and Benirras, where some projects were already underway, and vast areas of land were classified as urbano (building permitted). 
A spokesman for the Government revealed the consortium’s first task will be to find alternative land to offer those affected.  This would be the cheapest solution, and would enable the land owners to build in other areas of the island which are not protected by the new legislation and already have public facilities, including roads, pavements, water and electricity.   
If agreements cannot be reached in this way, then alternatives will have to be found, although the possibility of forced buy-outs have initially been ruled out by the Government.
The group, made up of experts, as well as members of the Island Council and the various Town Halls on the island, will also be responsible for restoring the protected areas to their original state.  The area which will take the most work will undoubtedly be Roca Llisa, where much of the now protected area will need to be reconditioned.  However, parts of Benirras will also need attention, as well as Punta Perdrera, close to Cala Conta.
The lawyer for the landowners affected in Benirras confirmed on Tuesday that the small print within the new legislation would ensure his clients were able to build.  There are currently 11 licences which have been approved by the Town Hall that are currently on hold due to the new legislation.  The Balearic Government tried to reach an agreement with the owners of the permits and offered land in other areas.  However, it was an offer which proved unattractive and the deal was rejected, with the group choosing to resolve the dispute via the courts.
The situation became slightly more tense towards the end of the week as work began on Thursday at one of the 11 sites inside the protected area which have a building permit.  The environmental protection group, GEN, called on the Town Hall of San Juan to stop the work immediately, although the latter said it would not be taking such action until its own legal report was ready.  

Orange Corner
The orange is the most popular fruit consumed within the Balearics, according to a recent study.  Sixty-three per cent of people living on the islands consume two or less fruits a day, with apple and banana finishing second and third on the popularity list.

Football Mad
A recent study carried out by Canon, the official sponsors of the European Championships due to begin next month, revealed 72 per cent of Spanish fans would prefer to watch football than have sex.  Eighty-eight per cent said they regularly dreamed about football, with seven in ten admitting they had certain superstitions which they followed before, during and after a match. 
However, Sweden seem to have the most fervent support with 63 per cent admitting they planned their life around football, whilst 88 per cent said they had hugged or kissed a complete stranger during a game.  The Portuguese, Belgians and Germans were surprisingly the biggest cry-babies, with three out of every four fans from these countries admitting to having shed a tear at a game.     
However, it appears loyalties have no importance when choosing friends, with just 9 per cent of Spaniards admitting football allegiances mattered when choosing friends, some way behind the 35 per cent of Belgians who said it did. 

Hospital Wait
Waiting times for an operation on the island are below the national average, according to new figures from the Health Department.  Although Ibiza heads the islands within the Balearics with an average waiting time of 70 days, it is still below the national average of 75 days.  Formentera has the lowest waiting time, at 33.2 days, with the Balearic average 61 days. 
There are currently 1,117 people waiting for an operation at Can Misses, 777 of which will be operated on within 90 days, while the remainder will have to wait up to three months.  In the Balearics there are 12,115 on the waiting list, 15.6 per cent more than last year. 

IBIZA TOWN
Strike Action
Civil servants working at the Town Hall in Ibiza have sent out a warning shot to their bosses over the continuing dispute concerning their new pay package.  The general secretary of the UGT union, Diego Ruiz, said strike action had not been ruled out and that the Town Hall would have to change its attitude if it was to avoid a dispute.
The Town Hall’s offer of a rise to €235 per month beginning in 2012 has actually been accepted by the Union.  However, Ruiz explained that despite what the Town Hall may believe, they were not merely interested in money but the entire package, because while the salary has been increased, certain other benefits have been eliminated.  These include social and educational benefits, which have been the norm until now. 
Ruiz ended by saying he hoped a solution could be found, but that an initial protest has been planned for Thursday, which will take place between 12noon -1p.m. at plaza de Espana.
The news came on the same day pilots working for Air Nostrum reached an agreement which put an end to the proposed strike due to begin last weekend that would have affected 35,000 passengers across the country.

SAN ANTONIO
Residency Delays
The home for sufferers of Alzheimer which is due to be built in sa Serra, San Antonio, hit the headlines once again last week as the project remained on hold.  The contract was originally awarded to a private company back in 2006 at a total cost of €6,871,400.  The work was due to get underway the same year and take just 13 months to complete.  However, the previous PP-run Island Council agreed at the beginning of 2007 to pay an additional €1,056,644 to the company for the project.  Just five days before the change of Government in July last year when members of the PP party knew they were to be substituted, the minister in charge of the project, Vicent Serra, agreed a further increase of €1,004,775 in the cost of the project. 
The new Socialist-run Council revealed last week that they were asked for an additional €2.2 million just days after taking power.  The new minister in charge, Patricia Abascal, called the increases ludicrous, and said they amounted to a 62 per cent rise in the cost of the project.  She added that a contract of such value should have been made available for public tender, and questioned Serra’s motives.  She said she could not understand the increases, in particular the last one which was agreed just days before a change in Government.  She questioned why her party was then asked for a further €2.2 million, just days after the last increase was agreed. 
Serra, for his part, defended the increases saying they had been planned from the beginning, and that the initial figure was basic and would continue being re-calculated as alterations to the project were made.  He said the delays were simply due to the fact that the centre was not a priority for the new administration.

Sala’s Plea
The mayor of San Antonio, Jose Sala, has appealed for help in modernising the ageing municipality.  In a statement whilst visiting the work taking place in front of es Pouet beach - close to the border with San Jose, to be completed next month - he confirmed he had requested a special subsidy from the Council. 
Sala said San Antonio was one of the more mature resorts in the Balearics, and that work was needed to cement its place as a market leader.  He continued that the plan was extremely ambitious and even contemplated the removal of the structure at the entrance to the town - formerly the open-air disco, Idea - which has remained an eyesore for the last 15 years.  A huge wellness centre is to be put in its place which will include indoor pools, a spa, and rooms for massage and talasotherapy treatments.
Although part of the work remains unfinished, the road in front of es Pouet beach has been opened to traffic, ensuring the entire bottom bay road right through to Port des Torrent is now fully operational. 
The cost of the entire project eventually came to €2,160,000, loose change in comparison to the original plans, which intended to spend over €6 million, but were eventually scrapped after funding could not be raised.
The first phase was completed last year and included the sa Punta des Moli children’s park at a cost of €437,682.  The second and third years saw a further €1.6 million spent on restructuring the road, which originally should have changed the road into a one-way system, but that idea was scrapped after consultation between the Town Halls of San Antonio and San Jose.     
The following day Sala was out and about yet again, this time visiting the proposed car park which has brought chaos to the centre of town during the last six months.  He promised the construction would be ready by 15th July and would have space for 300 cars.  Around 100 of these would be sold off at a price of around €18,000, whilst the rest would be rented out. 
However, he agreed the new facility would not solve the problem in the centre of town and said another car park would be built close to the football stadium towards the end of the year.

SAN JOSE
Med Clean Up
The “Clean up the Med” campaign, which was simultaneously undertaken in various points across the Mediterranean on Sunday, once again proved a great success.  Thirty divers gathered in waters off Cala Vadella and managed to collect a total of 1,500 kilos of rubbish from the beach and the sea-bed.  The day was jointly organised by the Balearic Government and the Town Hall of San Jose.  Sources claimed the amount collected was less than during a similar campaign carried out in Cala Moli last year, a sure sign, according to organisers, that the public were being more careful about dumping rubbish into the sea. 

SANTA EULALIA
New Site on the Cards
The Town Hall of Santa Eulalia has revealed it is studying the possibility of moving the main police station, currently situated in the centre of town.  The facility is over 30 years old and has become more and more obsolete over time.  The head of the police force, Armando Riera, revealed a number of locations were being considered and, after recent talks with the Town Hall, hoped the move could be made during the current legislation.
He continued by saying that he preferred the option of moving out of the town centre, as this would give them far more options, adding a garage for all of the six cars and seven motorbikes was also a necessity.
There are currently 43 officers working within the municipality, which has a population of just under 35,000.  Riera revealed this was below the required national ratio, but that at the moment they were coping reasonably well, helped in part by a good working relationship with the Guardia Civil. 

FORMENTERA
Body Discovered
Officers were last week investigating the death of a British man in the Cap de Barbaria area of Formentera.  Walkers found the decomposed body inside a tent whilst strolling though an area of thick forest.  Initial investigations indicate the man had been dead for at least 20 days, although there were no signs of violence.  However, the matter was somewhat confused by locals and friends of the deceased who assured officers they had seen him just a week ago.  The body was sent away for an autopsy, while officers said a lethal cocktail of drugs and alcohol could have been to blame for the death.   
The body is that of Adam Michael Laing, a well known figure on the island, who lived a bohemian existence.  He was a great fan of the water and could regularly be found in the port area.  He had no fixed work, but used to do odd jobs including house maintenance and boat repairs.  He also skippered vessels during the summer and was described as an experienced seaman.
It was said that he always lived in the shadow of his famous father, the Scottish psychiatrist, Ronald David Laing, who wrote extensively on mental illness and particularly the experience of psychosis.  He argued that the strange behaviour and seemingly confused speech of people undergoing a psychotic episode were an attempt to communicate worries and concerns, often in situations where this was not possible or permitted.  Laing stressed the role of society, and controversially the family, in the development of "madness”.  He argued that individuals can often be put in impossible situations, where they are unable to conform to the conflicting expectations of their peers, leading to a 'lose-lose situation' and immense mental distress for the individuals concerned.

CRIME & INCIDENTS
Drug Confessions
The two men arrested last week off the coast of Ibiza with just over two tonnes of hashish have both claimed they made the run for €10,000 each.  The pair, who both live in San Antonio, were brought before a judge on Monday morning where they revealed they had agreed to make the trip with a Spanish man, whose name they did not know, over a coffee in a bar in San Antonio.  Both said this was the first time they had attempted such a journey.
They continued by revealing that after the initial meeting with the man, they then received instructions through a series of telephone calls. The mission was aborted several times due to bad weather, but eventually they were given the go-ahead. 
They were issued a series of coordinates which eventually led them to the boat carrying the cargo.  They said no agreement had been reached beforehand about the exact amount which was to be handed over, and added they were shocked at the eventual total.  In the end officers found 30 packages, each weighing roughly 30 kilos, on board, which experts estimate has a street value of around €3 million.   
They continued that the crew of the vessel handing over the packages were all of Moroccan descent, and that the transfer began with both giving a password which had been agreed beforehand.  Surprisingly neither could remember what this was.  When all of the cargo had been loaded onto the boat, they then received further instructions about where they were to go next.  This contact was cut as soon as they became aware they were being followed by customs officers.    

Trial Date Set
The Brits involved in the San Antonio shootout in August 2006 are to face sentences of up to 20 years in jail when the trial begins in September.  The official trial date has now been set, and will be heard in Palma from 8th September. 
In total seven people stand accused, three of attempted murder, after a group of Moroccans and British youths opened fire on each other close to the es Paradis nightclub at the entrance to the town.  Police were quick to confirm the incident was drugs related, and a fight over territory.  Shaun Francis W and Kevin John Patrick M were both in the British driven vehicle, a BMW X5, involved in the incident.  Both were arrested several days after the shootings, but the latter later skipped bail.  However, he was re-arrested in Amsterdam two months ago, before being extradited to the island to face charges.
According to the original testimony, Shaun Francis was driving the car, whilst Kevin John was in the passenger seat.  Both were carrying firearms which were used against the Seat Leon, driven by the Moroccans. 
Two Irish tourists were injured in the incident, one seriously, as they passed by during the attack.  Happily, they both made full recoveries. 
The driver of the other vehicle, Younes A.A, stands accused of three counts of attempted murder and could face up to 29 years in prison.  The other four involved in the case, two Brits and two Moroccans, all face sentences ranging from three to seven years for offences relating to the sale of drugs.

Man Found Dead
A 60 year old British man, resident on the island, was found dead outside his home in Cala Llenya, Santa Eulalia, in the early hours of Saturday morning.  The body was discovered under a tree at around 6a.m.  At first investigators believed there were signs of violence, after an injury was found on the neck of the deceased.  However, it was later confirmed the injury had been caused after the man accidentally fell from his balcony, after slipping.  It is not yet known the exact details of the incident, although police confirmed the man was suffering from Parkinson’s disease.  

NEWS FROM THE MAINLAND
Eta Blow
Zapatero said the country was a little closer to defeating the Eta terrorists after the arrest, on Wednesday, of their “number one” Francisco Javier Lopez Pena.  He added there was still a long way to go, but that the road would eventually lead them to victory.  He congratulated the Guardia Civil for their work and thanked the cooperation of French forces, whose assistance was proving extremely positive.  He said he would personally thank the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, whose help was becoming invaluable.
Spain's Interior Minister, Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, said the arrest was a huge blow to the organisation and added that Pena was “in all probability, the person who carried most weight within Eta – both politically and militarily".
Pena – also known as "Thierry" - was seized with three other Eta suspects in a late night raid in the city of Bordeaux, in south west France.  The other three people arrested were named as Ainhoa Ozaeta Mendiondo, Igor Suberbiola and Jon Salaberria.  Several firearms were seized in the raid, as well as a computer.
On the run for more than two decades, it is said he engaged in ultimately unsuccessful talks with the Spanish government in early 2006, having just taken charge of the group.  When these failed he is believed to have been closely involved in the decision to abandon the ceasefire, which ended following the December 2006 bombing of Madrid's airport - which killed two people.
Ms Ozaeta was the masked woman who made the official announcement ending the ceasefire in a June 2007 Eta video.

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