DavidJackson.info

A month after the Junta closed the Conserjería de Vivienda (ostensibly for “austerity” reasons, although I still maintain it was because it was an inefficient embarrassment that caused more damage to Andalucia than anything since Franco died), “Mr Bulldozer” has been booted upstairs and is moving to Seville (according to today’s La Voz). No news on what his promotion entails, although I assume an office with a door is involved.

How nice.

Luis is the man who, rightly or wrongly, has become associated in the British mind as the man responsible for the urban abuse scandal in Almería, and efforts to demolish hundreds of homes across the region. He was the provincial head of housing in Almería (previously a mayor in some god forsaken village and then a number of plush government jobs since he stepped aside).

He’s also an unpleasently macho campuo who speaks with a snidey voice and dislikes anyone who wasn’t born in his village. There’s a lot of them in the regional administration – the sort of government employee who in the 50′s thought autarquía was a good idea, and built a 10 year plan around it. You know the sort. The British have spent the last 1,000 years to ensure that this sort of person never gets any higher up the foodchain than chairman of the parish council, where they write endless memos about dogs on the parish lawn (or head of the BNP).

Here’s a sartorial picture taken at the AUAN march in Almería earlier this year, courtesy of The Reader:

(It goes without saying that Caparros is Bob the Builder, he’s not the smiling bearded chappie in the photo).

Good luck to him. He’ll probably end up running a Conserjería. Enough reason to vote PP as any, I suppose.

Meanwhile, a Judge yesterday agreed that one of the Albox 8 (actually 9 but Albox 8 sounds snappier) was not informed of the proceedings against their home and cancelled the demolition order, due to have been carried out this month. The whole legal proceedings must now restart. 10 years of waiting, fighting the “Administration” and legal limbo awaits this happy couple.

Despite the recent ruling by the Constitutional Court that overturned the court order that lead to the infamous destruction of the Priors house in Vera, Luis Caparros (Mr Bulldozer) has made a public statement in which he claims that the C.C. ruling only applies to the execution of the order, and does not invalidate the basic illegality of the house or the outcome of the first court case.

The C.C. has ruled that the rights of the Priors were ignored when they were not properly informed of the original court process against the house, and as such says that the legal process that culminated in the destruction order is null. The case has been rolled back to the 2003 situation, which is when the Priors should have been informed that the case had started.

Basically, this means that the court has decided that the Priors should have been informed in 2003 that the Fiscalia had opened a case against them. Since they were not, the case should have been paralysed until they were found and allowed time for prepare a legal defense. Since this did not happen, all court proceedings after that date were ruled “null”. This does not open the door to compensation, it reopens the court case – if, this time around, the Priors can convince the Judge to issue a distinct ruling then they may have an opening to lodge an objection against the first demolition order.

The original court case went (aprox) as follows:

- The house was denounced as illegally built by government inspectors.
- The Public Prosecutor (Fiscalia) lodged a case against the house in the courts. Vera town hall called to testify and the building permit issued by the town hall was declared “null” (whether it was is a whole different story). Priors not informed of this and unable to lodge further paperwork or appeal.

No appeal being forthcoming, the Fiscalia proceeds to lodge an application for demolition of the illegal houses. As this was not contested (Priors still unaware of situation, it seems), it was granted by the courts and signed off by Mr Bulldozer, the (politician) and head of Urban Planning who had to order the bulldozers in.

It’s worth mentioning that it’s one thing for the courts to permit demolition and another for someone to have the political will to execute that order – which is why only the Priors house was knocked down, Caparros got cold feet after knocking that house down and didn’t continue with the rest of the demolition order. The order is now null – the case is rolled back to the argument over whether or not the Vera town hall building permit was illegal when issued (1999 I think, old Felix -mayor of Vera- continues to insist that it was legal when issued as it complied with the planning rules and plans then).

Helen & Len Prior, the couple who had their house demolished in Vera, met yesterday at the promised meeting between the Junta de Andalucia (Mr Demolition man himself, Caparros was there) and the Mayor of Vera.

Both the Mayor and the Junta have so far refused to issue any statement on the outcome of the meeting, according to the Spanish press, and I can’t find any updates from the Priors.

What a lovely website.

https://ws037.juntadeandalucia.es/riibp/publica/buscaracp.do

It shows you the publicly declared assets of “high-ups” in the public administration, as they are required to do by law.

So, for example, we can see that our old friend Luis “bulldozer” Caparros, of Prior fame, owns three rather crummy and cheap houses and a bit of land.

DECLARACIÓN DE BIENES PATRIMONIALES

Sorry, but his “habitual home” is only worth €10.748,24? And he only has €4.332 in cash in the bank? Are these declarations worth the paper they’re written on? Are we supposed to look at this stuff with a straight face and not giggle?

I mean, just look at President for Life Manuel Chaves. Drives around in a Volvo Master II worth €3000. And has a pension plan with Santander worth €12.250. And owns a garage in Seville worth €6.321,28. (To park the Volvo, I assume). And had €3.887 in cash in the bank (2005).

How much are these people being paid a month? €3000? €4000? €5000? What on earth are they doing with the money, if they aren’t banking or investing it? Spending it on crack cocaine?

In the IV Urban Planning conference in Albox yesterday, Luis Caparros, AKA “Mr Demolition Man”, announced that the Juntas’ Planning Department would proceed to legalise “a large number” of illegal “urban centres” that are scattered across the Almanzora.

The Juntas’ definition of “urban centre” is of several houses in close proximity that can be used to justify the reclassification of the surrounding land to urban and the consequent construction of houses next to them. If you remember, this was why the Priors house was demolished, as it was deemed that it together with the neighbouring houses (also under a demolition order, not yet executed) could form the nucleus of a new village.

In brief, this is the expected announcement that the Junta will start legalising lots of nonthreatening homes, which will allow them to have connections to utilities – and, of course, be taxed.

Luis Caparros, the man from the Junta with shares in the local demolition company, publically said this morning that he does not believe that currently any more illegal buildings are being constructed in the Almanzora valley, and claims that the only construction being carried out in the area are with “all legal permits”. He also denied claims that construction of illegal houses have “accelerated” in order to take advantage of the legalisation plans – and claims that all illegal half built houses have been paralysed.

He also pointed out that neither he nor his team are police, and that he can only work with the information provided to him via the police, public prosecutors, town halls and other official bodies who carry out on the ground inspections.

He also reminded us of the important part that ecologist groups have to play in a modern society, but asked them to remember that common sense and a sense of publilc decorum is important to prevent spreading unnecessary public alarm. Not sure why he had to point this out, he may be building up to some sort of denouncement against Greenpeace?

According to teleprensa.net  Luis Caparros, the swine who knocked down the Priors house, built large scale electric pylons everywhere, gas pipes, approved the POTALA and generally ruined the area (and, by the way, got a promotion for it – he’s now the head of Housing and Territorial Organisation of Almeria) has promised, under intense media scrutiny, to meet with “los ingeses” (not all of them, just a “Janet & Frank Doel”) to reassure them that despite sending them a letter in June telling them to knock their house down “or the Junta would do it for them” their house is safe.

The house is in Cantoria and one of the many houses threatened with demolition by the Junta. Don’t forget this is the bloke who knocked down the Priors house, then authorised the construction of over 130000 houses right next door.

After intense media pressure (all Spanish) there has been much backtracking by Caparros, who now says that there was an initial mistake in locating the house and the house is in a legal position.

Frankly, I’m amazed nobody’s run the bastard over. He must be the only politician in Europe who doesn’t want his face in the papers.