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Getting spicy1
June 20th - July 3rd 2018
International flavour at this year’s Calentita
Vol. 3 Issue 73 www.gibraltarolivepress.com June 20th - July 3rd 2018
Death crash probe POLICE are appealing for witnesses to a fatal traffic accident between two female cyclists at the weekend. In particular they want to talk to a driver who may have been overtaken just seconds before the accident that killed Fatima Venegas, 50, from Sevilla. The crash happened when one of the riders lost control of her vehicle and the other attempted to avoid her. Both women were rushed to Saint Bernard’s Hospital, with the other also suffering serious injuries.
Accident
Police wish to speak to anyone who may have been in the vicinity and may have witnessed the accident, stating: "We are particularly interested in speaking with the driver of a locally-registered vehicle, possibly red or burgundy in colour that may have been overtaken by one of the motorcycles either immediately before or at the time of the accident." Anyone with information is asked to contact the Duty Officer at New Mole House on +350 20072500.
Hear us roar ANTI-tourism protesters have chained themselves to Gaudi’s iconic dragon in Barcelona while calling for a ban on new hotels to deter holidaymakers.
TUNNEL VISION: A trio of fabulous murals are set to adorn the Rock
Rocked!
Gibraltarbased company linked to alleged Russian interference probe that could have ‘bought Brexit’ By Laurence Dollimore
COMPANIES House in London has insisted the ‘man who bought Brexit’ reveal how he was able to fund his campaign to pull the UK out of Europe. The finances of Aaron Banks’ Gibraltar-based companies are set for heavy scrutiny, over concerns about his alleged links with Russia in connection to the referendum result.
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BREXIT CASH PROBE: (left) Aaron Banks, US President Trump, Nigel Farage MPs are calling for police and parliament to continue investigating the alleged connection between the millionaire Brexit donor and Russia, after it emerged he met the Kremlin’s ambassador to the UK on various occasions. Home secretary Sajid Ja-
vid confirmed last week that Banks’ Russian connections are being examined ‘very seriously’ by two ministers in two departments who want to establish if there was an attempt to undermine parliamentary democracy during the Brexit campaign. Banks, a former Ukip donor and an associate of ex-Ukip leader Nigel Farage, gave £8m to the Leave.EU and Grassroots Out campaigns. The money came from offshore firms, a number of which are based in Gibraltar, where 96% of voters ironically wanted to remain in the EU. Leave.EU focused relentlessly on immigration in the run up to the EU referendum and much of its populist strategy was taken from the US presidential campaign of Donald Trump, a man with whom Banks feels a close affinity having met him immediately after his victory in New York. Banks is also still under investigation by the Electoral Commission, which is trying to establish if he was the ‘true source of loans’ to Leave.EU, and whether Better for the Country Ltd, a company he controlled, was the source
of donations made to Brexit campaigners. Banks has allegedly also been told by Companies House to publish the accounts of his offshore holding company ICS Risk Solutions, which he uses to finance his activities. The Isle of Man-registered company is reported to be the ‘heart of Banks’s finances’. It is the holding company for Eldon Insurance, the insurer behind Go Skippy, and has paid over £77m since 2015 to prop up Banks’ Southern Rock underwriting arm, based in Gibraltar, after regulators on the Rock found the business was trading without adequate provisions. Banks said he would comply with any direction from Companies House, according to the Guardian. Banks had resigned his directorship with Southern Rock in 2014 over regulation issues. The move came after an investigation by the Financial Services Commission (FSC), found the directors to have made ‘inadequate’ provisions for future claims. Banks said the decision to accept the regulatory outcome was to avoid the need for
costly legal proceedings. “We decided to take the slap on the wrists to avoid the court action,” Banks said at the time. But now the pressure is building on Banks, after Labour MP Stephen Doughty, a member of the home affairs select committee, said it should investigate the links between Banks and Russia. “These are incredibly serious and growing allegations about the connections between Banks and the Russians, and their ability to potentially compromise the integrity of the referendum and British democracy,” the Labour MP said. “A number of committees in parliament, including my own, will want to [take a] closer look at this.” Asked whether there should be a police investigation, he said: “Some of the allegations are particularly serious and will no doubt need to be investigated by other authorities as well”. Labour’s front bench also weighed in with Tom Watson saying: “Try as he might, Mr Banks can’t just bluster his way out of these serious allegations. Democratic integrity is too important.” During a UK select committee investigating fake news last week, Banks defended his movement of funds to Southern Rock insisting he was simply shuffling money between two companies that he owns, before accusing MPs of trying to create some ‘shadiness around my business’.