1.5bn Euro of EU money goes missing in Spain

Not content with just stealing the Spanish tax-payers money. they have now been nicking EU money as well……….. Extract from the Telegraph

‘Spanish police are investigating a massive fraud case involving the embezzlement of hundreds of millions of pounds of EU funds destined for retraining schemes for the unemployed.

Anti-corruption detectives in Spain’s southern region of Andalusia believe they have uncovered the nation’s biggest ever fraud after discovering local officials siphoned off funds worth £1.5billion.

The secret police investigation, dubbed Operation Edu, is still in its preliminary stages and has yet to be filed with an investigating judge but centres on the misuse of funds from EU member states’ taxpayers.

The probe alleges that regional governors, trade unions leaders and employers’ associations colluded to receive EU and government subsidies to conduct back-to-work training sessions that never took place.

The poverty-stricken region, where unemployment tops 36 per cent, received € 2.3 billion (£1.4 billion) from the European Social Fund in training grants between 2007 and 2013 and the central government contributed a further €710 million’.

Many a true word said in jest: A very popular cartoon depicts a small boy telling his father he is not sure on his choice of career. “I am not sure whether to go into politics or organised crime,“ he tells his dad.

“Choose politics,“ his father says. “It is much the same thing but you don’t go to gaol for it.”

I have never liked the anarchy, chaos, unpredictability and bloodshed of revolutions. But, the way things are going I can understand them better. I think many politicians should be hanging from lamp posts.

Many a true word said in jest: A very popular cartoon depicts a small boy telling his father he is not sure on his choice of career. “I am not sure whether to go into politics or organised crime,“ he tells his dad.

“Choose politics,“ his father says. “It is much the same thing but you don’t go to gaol for it.”

I have never liked the anarchy, chaos, unpredictability and bloodshed of revolutions. But, the way things are going I can understand them better.

I think many politicians should be hanging from lamp posts.

They would slip out of the noose.

Well, blow me down,  I see that we now have a politician on here..(Thumbs down)..that doesn't think they are slippery gits, and shouldn't be hanged. 

It's so mind-dumbingly terrible. If you steal someone's wallet in the street, containing one euro you could go to prison, and these criminals ruin the country and there will be associated deaths, as youngsters and others commit suicide, feeling hopeless about their future. It can't be that hard to get the money back - not everyone blows it on holidays or gambling. There will be a whole load of people with massive fancy houses and other assets. If they can't immediately and plausibly explain where the money came from, these assets should be frozen and then sold off and the money go where it was supposed to go.

The only up-side to this is...If indeed there is an up-side...Is that no doubt Spain isn't the only one to have done this, I would bet money that almost every country in the EU, or connected to it in some way or the other has done much the same but for now it might seem it's Spain thats been found out. Now one has it might not  be that long before the Telegraph digs deeper into other payments.

Who thinks that any Eastern Europe country isn't a past master at doing this, and when they joined did they say "Lets try to be honest"

Dont make it right though.

Problem is – it isn’t just a couple of them involved these thefts, its endemic. In 2005 we were involved with a project in a town near Marbella when the mayor was arrested for the 3^rd time for the usual dishonest behaviour. Although our project had a licence we were stopped and believe this or not – every single project in the town was stopped and not a single site was active for many, many months. We discovered that the local architect also worked in the town hall and the Mayor’s wife and daughter also worked for the architect both also being employed by the council, as building controllers.

Then it got worse. ‘names’ from Marbella were also involved in the scam and at the time two Marbella Mayors were on remand at Alhaurin penitenciaria. The thing just snowballed and after almost 2 years the courts cleared us and many others having proved the source and destination of payments etc and we were told we could continue. Our bank had pulled by then, as had many more and we were left with 24 apartments half finished.

We stupidly paid what we owed and were left, as were dozens of others with projects we couldn’t complete and most are still in the same condition after all this time.

And the Mayor?

Oh, he was back at his desk in no time, bleeding the system dry again although many others involved did get a bit of porridge but they were all back at it in no time. Sadly Spain doesn’t encourage, recognise or protect honest business activity, that why it’s in the dire situation it is in and will continue to wallow in for the forseeable future.