OLIVE PRESS
The
MALLORCA
FREE
Vol. 6 Issue 152
SUN, SAND AND SCRUMS
www.theolivepress.es
Your expat
voice in Spain
March 24th - April 6th 2023
MAGALUF beach is gearing up once again to host hard tackles and flying sand as the annual Majorca Beach Rugby tournament returns. Traditionally held over two days during the May bank holiday weekend, this year it will take place on the weekend of April 29-30. There will be an enormous array of 70 teams, each consisting of seven players, competing to bring the trophy home. Rugby players, beach lovers and party goers will pour in from traditional rugby-playing countries like England, Ireland, Wales, France and Scotland. But the tournament will also see entrants from far flung novice rugby-playing countries including the USA, Germany and the Netherlands throwing their hats into the ring. There will be a couple of local teams of Mallorcans in the mix as well. The popularity of the competition has exploded since its inaugural tournament 14 years ago, when only 10 teams rocked up. It was founded by former England and Leicester Tigers tighthead prop Steve Redfern in 2009 and has gone from strength to strength in the intervening years.
WHERE’S THE MONEY?
THE Gibraltar courts have stepped in to probe a suspect crypto trading platform amid allegations it was a Ponzi scheme. It comes as a UK liquidator was brought in to close down Globix, which is suspected of defrauding hundreds of investors in Spain and Gibraltar out of as much as €70 million. At an explosive investors meeting, hosted by former leader of the opposition Daniel Feetham KC this week, the finger was firmly pointed at Globix owner, Damian Carreras (pictured). Gibraltarian Carreras, who ran his unregulated crypto company via Gibraltar and the British Virgin Islands, vanished last year with up to
Serious savings on currency transfers to and from Spain
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Liquidators probing whether Globix is ‘a fraud or Ponzi scheme’ while Olive Press names its beleaguered boss, believed to have fled to Barcelona or Palma EXCLUSIVE By Walter Finch
€70 million owed to investors. As the Olive Press revealed a fortnight ago, the company crash was linked to the kidnapping of one of his partners, Russian Pavel Sidorov, in Alicante, last year. London-based liquidator Begbies Traynor is now trying to establish and locate the assets of Carreras’ company ‘Miracle World Ventures Limited’ and various linked businesses. The insolvency team is trying to establish if Globix was a fraud, w h i l e primarily recovering any assets it can find. “ W a s Globix a scam? G o o d q u e s tion,” insolvency expert Adrian Hyde, of Begbies, told dozens of investors
gathered for the online meeting. “We know it’s been suggested it was a Ponzi scheme,” but he added it was ‘too early’ to answer the question. He also denied the liquidators were in any way connected to Carreras and were ‘working for’ the Gibraltar courts. But Hyde made it clear that they would go after the assets and property of individuals who may have ‘received huge gifts from the company’, even if it meant bankrupting them first. The Olive Press can reveal that the 39-year-old CEO of Globix is currently hiding out in Barcelona or Palma after fleeing from furious investors in Gibraltar.
amiss with Globix. In the kidnap, Sidirov was snatched with his girlfriend outside their El Campello villa, before they contacted police.
It was during the attack that Sidirov was able to send an estimated €40m to Ukraine in a crypto-wallet. Opinion Page 6
Look who’s laughing now
Russian
Carreras, who speaks fluent Russian, studied Economics at Tambov University, in Russia, where he met his business partner Sidirov, with whom he set up Globix in 2021. He lists himself as a ‘crypto mining broker’ on his LinkedIn profile and claims to have worked in the energy sector, as well as for the Ministry of Defence. When we finally tracked down Carreras for comment he told the Olive Press: “I have nothing to say to you.” He added: “Basically someone is shit stirring and if you have any evidence send it to me.” It was a kidnap attempt on Sidirov last June by angry investors frozen out of their funds that first alerted authorities that something was
Read about Mallorca’s new comedy club on page 4