Spain: More Demolisions Threatened

Expats in Almeria, Spain are facing the demolition of their homes in the latest town planning scandal to hit Almería province. Around 19 properties, all lacking building licences and first habitation certificates, are facing the bulldozers in the El Fas district of Cantoria according to Costa Almeria News.

Although the case has been going through the courts for almost two years, the effected residents only heard of the news in late June when they were served with a summons asking if they wanted to take part in legal proceedings against the builders.

The public prosecutor says the builders sold the properties to third parties despite knowing they had been built on non-urban land and without permits. He also said that a court had ordered a halt to construction work in June 2006. Acting on behalf of the government, he asked for the houses to be demolished and for the expat homeowners to be compensated.

Expats are claiming the local mayor, Pedro Llamas García and the solicitors who initially represented them, repeatedly assured them that the properties were all legal. An expat spokesman for the Cantoria Residents’ Association said they had been “led up the garden path” by builders, solicitors and the council, and suggested the latest scandal could be the tip of the iceberg.

He said: “Around 200 other properties in Cantoria are going to be in the same position. We bought in good faith and it turns out we were lied to and defrauded by everyone,” he added bitterly: “We were viewed as sheep ready to be fleeced.”

At the centre of the case are two individuals accused of fraud, Karen Smit and Julio Piñeiro. They are named as the developers of the El Fas complex and have been charged with selling illegal properties.