The
OLIVE PRESS MALLORCA
The food of love...
Your
Discover our guide to romantic treats
expat
voice in Spain
See Seepage page14 ??
FREE Vol. 6 Issue 149 www.theolivepress.es February 10th - February 23rd 2023 PROPERTIES in Palma have been linked to money laundering allegations that have dragged in the husband and stepson of Marbella Mayor Angeles Muñoz. Joakim Peter Broberg, 41, faces accusations of drug trafficking, money laundering and being involved in organised crime. The scandal has rocked Spain as a plot was exposed whereby Lars Gunnar Sune Broberg, husband of Muñoz, and his son Joakim were both allegedly part of a network dedicated to smuggling drugs from Spain to Sweden. Narcotics were supposedly sent
CLEANING UP through parcels, some camouflaged as vacuum cleaners, and in each package would be 15kg of drugs. According to a National Court of Spain indictment, Joakim Broberg was also linked to six money laundering rings - three of which were run together with his father. The court records also specified a series of real estate operations in Palma supposedly linked to a money laundering scheme from the money they obtained from the sales of the narcotics in Sweden. There were six affected properties, purchased through a company, Cicak Invest SL in 2015. The court estimates the amount laundered was more than €47 million.
Broberg, 41, had been behind bars in Brazil since April waiting for a court decision on extradition. Just before Christmas he was flown back to Spain, accompanied by Spanish police. Joakim and Lars are among 71 people so far arrested in a police operation spanning both Spain and Sweden. Swedish police claim that up to 50 deaths a year could be linked to a settling of scores between the gang and other Scandinavian rivals. During an initial raid, in 2018, they found an alarming array Continues on page 2
Tax plot THE super rich trying to hide luxury assets such as superyachts and mansions in company shells could soon have a bumper tax bill in the Balearics. The regional government has passed a proposal to ask the Spanish government to create a specific ‘luxury asset’ tax for the islands. Joana Aina Campomar of the Mes political party argued that wealthy individuals ‘hide’ assets such as superyachts, mansions, sports cars and pieces of art in the name of companies so they do not have to pay taxes on them. “These are assets that are not necessary for business production purposes,” she said.
Hidden
It was acknowledged at the meeting that there is no detailed list of how many hidden assets exist in the Balearics. But Campomar said the figures could be compiled by cross-checking tax data. In her view, the Balearic islands are ‘most likely’ to have the most amount of hidden assets in Spain and the Mediterranean. “Individuals devise formulas to camouflage assets and not pay taxes,” she said. “These are tax avoidance practices.” The opposition’s Partido Popular spokesperson attacked the left’s ‘tax maelstrom’, while Ciudadanos suggested it was an initiative that would ‘criminalise businesspeople’.
Serious savings on currency transfers to and from Spain
Scan here for your customised quote:
147 834
DEVASTATED: Swathes of Turkish cities have been reduced to rubble, with Spanish rescue workers (left) flying in to help
QUAKE RELIEF A FIREFIGHTER from Mallorca has joined a specialist response team and is digging through the rubble to help rescue victims of the Turkish earthquake disaster. Palma-based Toni Jaume, 42, hooked with the International Natural Disaster Rescue Group (GIREcan) and flew to Turkey within three days of the disaster striking. The 17-year veteran of the service takes part every year in special practice drills with GIREcan members. Toni said: “My love for this work led me to make this decision to go over to Turkey”. “We are
Mallorcan firefighter on ground in Turkey in search for survivors By Alex Trelinski
a multidisciplinary team of 15 people made up of firefighters, doctors, nurses, architects and a communications officer,” he added. It’s not Toni’s first humanitarian mission, as back in 2007 he went to Pisco in Peru to deal with the aftermath of an earthquake.
Epicentre
The GIREcan team flew into Adana airport via Istanbul on Wednesday and reported to a United Nations office there. “After several hours of waiting we chartered a coach to go on a six hour journey close to the epicentre of the earthquake in Gaziantep province,” explained Toni. On arriving and witnessing the dev-
astation, Toni commented: “There is no hotel, there is no wi-fi, almost everything is collapsed and communications are going to be difficult.” “The chances of people being alive since the earthquake is decreasing,” he observed. His is not the only Spanish team desperately searching for survivors. A specialist response team from Valencia is also digging through the rubble. The firefighting unit flew to Istanbul within hours of the devastating quake and were joined on the same flight by celebrity chef Jose Andres. The founder of World Central Kitchen - who is setting up a kitchen in the affected area - stated he was ‘proud' to see so much help from Spain. The 15 members of Valencia’s Emergencies and Catastrophes Rescue Unit are working with sniffer dogs in Adana, near the epicenter of the quake. The team has experience of working in areas with collapsed buildings and will aid in finding victims. They have linked up with volunteers from the Valencian IAE charity. By yesterday the death toll from the disaster had surpassed 16,000.
Tel: 952 147 834
See pages 8 & 16
TM
HERO: Toni Jaume set off for Turkey Search dogs from both Spanish teams are being deployed along with specialist equipment including cameras to detect people who are under the rubble. Firefighters have also brought vital health and medical supplies with them. Spain is also sending amphibious assault ship Juan Carlos and a landing platform dock laden with emergency supplies.