Full details on page 24
ISSUE NO. 1651
23 Feb - 1 March 2017
COSTA DE ALMERÍA
Stop Press
YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
DON’T MISS OUR PROPERTY SUPPLEMENT INSIDE! PAGES 67 - 69
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Stunning additions VERA Council has provided its Local Police force with electric immobiliser (or taser) guns with an aim to increasing officers’ safety when faced with dangerous situations. Local mayor Felix Lopez presented police chief Andres Sanchez with the new taser guns, which officers have been thoroughly trained to use correctly. See page 8
Sandy solution AS promised by the Spanish government following the storms in December and January work is underway to repair damage to Almeria’s beaches. Initially €600,000 had been budgeted CAR DEALERS: Were also in on the con.
Fraud crackdown 75 held in scrap car tax scam By Simon Firth Seventy-five people have been arrested, some in Almeria, as part of investigations into a massive fraud involving older cars being re-registered after they had supposedly been scrapped. Investigations revealed the scale of the problem extended to large areas of Spain. In one region around 350 vehicles were involved, po-
lice reported. Officers have also arrested a number of car dealers who were in on the con. The fraud revolved round the Spanish Pive scheme under which owners accrued significant tax reductions if they scrapped an older car for a newer version with improved fuel and CO2 emissions. Certain dealers sent individuals who were looking to purchase new cars to scrap yards
to obtain the log books of scrapped vehicles. This would typically cost between €150 and €400 so that they could then claim the tax refund. Arrests have also been made in Madrid, Cordoba, Lugo, Jaen, Guadalajara and Toledo. Police inquiries began in December 2015 following one man’s complaint that he was being charged the tax for his former vehicle which had al-
ready been scrapped. They discovered signatures in the contracts of sale and other documentation had been falsified. The signature of one individual who was subsequently found to have died, had also been forged. Fraudulently obtained documentation then allowed dealers and others to obtain reductions on new vehicles under the Pive scheme.
for Almeria’s beaches but in light of extensive damage caused by storms between January 16-22 an extra €300,000 was added to the pot. See page 10
Faking it A GROUP which faked residence permits to enable Moroccan driving licences to be exchanged for Spanish ones irregularly has been busted in a joint Guardia Civil and National Police operation in Almeria. So far 29 people have been arrested suspected of forming part of the group, which charged between €1,500 and €2,000 to provide fake cerSee page 12 tificates of residence.
Palace puzzle THE opposition has accused Cantoria Council of abandoning promised plans to renovate the Palacio del Almanzora. Municipal Partido Popular group spokesman Pepe Llamas complained the socialist council, which had promised repeatedly during pre-election campaigns if they won, the palace would be restored to be used by the public. See page 61
Win a Car! YOU CAN STILL BE THE WINNER OF A CAR! SEE PAGES 6 & 7