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The
OLIVE PRESS
FREE
GIBRALTAR
Vol. 8 Issue 218
www.theolivepress.es
The Rock’s ONLY free local paper
All about
March 2023
TOWERING SUCCESS
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A honeypot for the rich and famous, Benahavis offers an example of a true Spanish success story bustling coast
than the best: a week a more relaxed lifestyle what Benahavis offers Benahavis offers by a dabble with of hiking followed air. National Park. keep on grow- Spain’s sixteenth national park, the a paintbrush out in the open T just seems to his visit came at for this tiny often covered with ing. The statisticsdrive from the soaring peaks (hence the name), By coincidence time as Netflix descendenclave, a short Puerto Banus snow in winter most amazing for the same village to film a couple the The snazzy nightlife of quite remark- are some of the with ea- ed on from the hit series hiking and bird-watching, above of scenes and Marbella, are out a villa in the and vultures soaring Crown. Renting able. enclave of place in gles exclusive Benahavis midwith increasing frequency. Long the highest-earning average earnthey portrayed the from the Benahavis Andalucia (with an its population Best reachedof La Quinta, a three- Zagaletaholiday that Lady Diana Goldings of €38,000), foreign) by last urbanisation walk takes you up to 1990s her friend Jemima (of which 68% is from 7,300 res- hour circular castano santo - holy took with her nearby family estate, smith at famous year had soared at 1000 years 9,244 since the chestnut tree - that oldest in Mala- Tramores. idents to a healthy were regularly the the magic numThe cast and crew 2022. It could hit Spring, predict old is said to be village, both filmseen around the ga province. ber of 10,000 this as well as ening various scenes, experts. of growth joying their time off. It’s a massive amount promotion Gorge to digital no“It is the best possible and is mostly down looking to But there are many other walks we could have had,” explains Counparticular mads and teleworkers who’s artist warm surround- right from the village, in in gorge, cillor Scott Marshall, live somewhere open spaces. river Benahavis to famous David moved down into its ed by nature and and golf where many people combine hik- father towards the 1970s. the vilThe free tennis, football plus language, swimming, or up of the Both visits were thanks to lessons for kids, for adults does ing with retreat to the Goldsmith the stunning country family, where lage’s connection yoga and pilates either. focussed on wealthy Goldsmith Bo- family, who are heavily not do any harm does offer the UK’s former Prime Ministerago. Benahavis really years three particstayed everyone, page for ris Johnson something Continues on next hills have First revealed by the Olive Press, ularly as its nearby up to enjoy desigJohnson had turned recently been officially de las Nieves nated the Sierra
VERDANT: Leafy
I
March 6th - March 19th 2024
Off the naughty step
String to his bow ONE of the most sought after cellists in the world will be featured at The Gibraltar Philharmonic Society’s Cello & Piano Recital. Narek Hakhnazaryan (right), and partner, pianist Georgy Tchaidze, will perform at The Convent Ballroom, at 8 pm on March 13. “Hakhnazaryan is a compelling artist, a true virtuoso with an innate musicality and an exceptional talent for connecting with his audience. He has been described as ‘dazzlingly brilliant’ (The Strad) and ‘nothing short of magnificent’ (San Francisco Chronicle), said a society spokesman. Tickets are available via www.buytickets.gi and at The John Mackintosh Hall Reception.
DOUBLE TRAGEDY
Spanish authorities ‘must bring justice’ for British expat mum who died while giving birth at Marbella hospital A BRITISH expat died while giving birth at a private Costa del Sol hospital after being refused a C-section, it has emerged. Kelsey Brown, 34, had been rushed to Ceram Hospital, in Marbella, on July 20, 2021, where a scan revealed her baby had died.
nal ter natio In & K All U ems TV syst Sound CCTV - n & Visio r net 4G Inte & ic t p Fiber O
952 763 840 635 400 099 info@theskydoctor.com www.theskydoctor.com
By Laurence Dollimore
Yet, despite the tragedy, the hairdresser from Liverpool was told she could not have a C-section or an epidural and would have to give birth naturally. While bleeding heavily and in ‘horrendous pain’, there was simply not enough blood on site for the procedure, a UK coroner’s court was told. Incredibly, blood supplies did not arrive until more than five-and-ahalf hours later. A lack of blood likely led to her death. Andre Rebello, senior coroner for Liverpool, said: "Kelsey was advised she could not have a caesarean and she could not have an epidural, and would have to give birth naturally." She began delivering the baby at 1.30pm with doctors using forceps to deliver the boy, named Daniel, who was found with his umbilical cord wrapped around his chest,
stopping him from feeding. A delivery of blood did not arrive until 6.45pm, but just half an hour later, at 7.15pm, Kelsey was pronounced dead. Her mother, Maria Brown, told the BBC that she was a ‘loving mum’ to her surviving child, who was aged five when the tragedy occurred. The family are now demanding answers from the Spanish authorities, who did not provide crucial medical documents to the Liverpool coroner. Mr Rebello told the court this impeded his ability to properly investigate the death, forcing him to declare an open conclusion due to lack of evidence. “Hopefully the Spanish authorities will make efforts to bring justice to what occurred,” he said. “They should be looking to see if there were opportunities to do something meaningful for a different outcome." Mr Rebello previously told the court that the results of a post-mortem in Spain had been
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TM
STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN: HEAVEN: We explore the thriving Andalucian town with around 70% expat population
GIBRALTAR has finally been removed from the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) ‘grey list’ after nearly two years of heightened scrutiny. The announcement was made after a Paris summit by the FATF, the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog supported by around 40 countries and international organisations. The Rock was placed on the grey list in June 2022 over what was perceived to be inadequate regulatory controls in the legal and gambling sectors - the former making up a whopping 28% of the economy. However, last week’s plenary session hailed the achievements of Gibraltar, alongside Barbados, Uganda, and the United Arab Emirates who also escaped onto the white list. They were acknowledged for their ‘substantial progress’ in working on strategic shortcomings the watchdog had identified in previous evaluations. “These jurisdictions had committed to implement an Action Plan to swiftly resolve the identified strategic deficiencies within agreed timeframes,” said a FATF spokesman. In response to this international recognition, the UK promptly followed suit, removing Gibraltar from its own grey list. Gibraltar's removal from the grey list is expected to boost its reputation as a jurisdiction of good standing, which could attract new investment and economic opportunities for the territory. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo expressed his elation at the news, praising the collaborative efforts of local agencies, authorities, and the private sector in combating economic crime. “Gibraltar’s FATF white listing not only enhances our reputation but also strengthens our position as a trusted and compliant international financial centre,” Picardo stated. The Council of Europe's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing body, MONEYVAL, also welcomed Gibraltar’s delisting. Opinion Page 6
PAINFUL DEATH: For Kelsey and her baby
‘withheld’, as had medical notes from Ceram Hospital. According to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, there could be a long wait for the Spanish investigation to bear fruit.
Healthy
Kelsey’s mother insisted she was ‘very healthy’ and didn't drink or smoke. “Kelsey really looked after herself. She was a great daughter, a great sister and a great mum,” she said. Kelsey had moved with her husband to the Costa del Sol in 2019, with their toddler, who was five when she died. The family are not commenting further until the Spanish authorities have completed their investigation. Opinion Page 6
Balban in the dock A FORMER Nat West Senior Manager at the centre of a £2.7 million fraud case has taken the stand at the Supreme Court. Gillian Balban is accused of fraud and false accounting between 2011 to 2017. The 51-year-old is alleged to have run up €600,000 worth of IOU’s and covered up a £2 million black hole in the bank’s Corral Road cash reserves. Under cross examination Balban admitted that she requested thousands of pounds in cash from the bank, to cover the wages of employees at her former restaurant Casa Brachetto. She said this would have been recorded in the restaurant’s accounts - but she confirmed that this did not seem to have happened. Balban claims that the £2 million hole in the bank’s cash reserves is due to a software migration, saying that such issues were common. The trial continues.