YOUTH ACCUSED OF RONDA MURDER HELD IN JAILBy David Eade
Ronda’s court has ordered the 18-year-old youth accused of murdering a 55-year-old local businessman last Tuesday afternoon to be held in prison without bail.
It was around 14.30 on the Tuesday afternoon that the youth is alleged to have shot José Muñoz twice whilst his car was parked close to the Spanish Legion barracks at La Indiana, a rural zone of Ronda. The events were captured on the security cameras and the slaying is said to have occurred during an argument with suggestions that the victim had earlier drawn out a large amount of money. The 18-year-old then fled the scene and was arrested later in a taxi at Algodonales by a local police road block.
The key to the crime lies in the fact that both accused and victim were of gypsy stock. The 18-year-old comes from Almería although he lives in Ronda. He is a member of the notorious ‘Los Pertolos’ clan that has a lengthy history of murder and extortion in their native province. His brother along with an uncle died in an armed raid on a marble company in Olula del Río in Almería in March – a crime which the 18-year-old may yet be implicated in.
The victim owned a furniture factory and an antiques shop in the calle Armiñán in the old town of Ronda. He was also the head brother of the Hermanidad de los Gitanos, one of the major religious confraternities in Ronda that takes part in the Easter parades and whose members are entirely made up from the gypsy community.
In Spain crime reports in the newspapers never name those involved so the victim has been known as J M S. However he was such a well known figure in Ronda that alongside the murder reports have been articles on his major role in Los Gitanos and the community were he is named as José Muñoz. The mayor of Ronda, Antonio Marín, expressed the shock and sadness of the town and an emotional funeral took place last Thursday.
Photo: Ronda Semanal
GAUCÍN IS BANKRUPTThe Partido Popular mayor of Gaucín, Francisco Ruíz, has threatened to close the town hall as he says the municipality is bankrupt and can not pay its way.
The 30 employees of the town hall did not receive their August pay until September 10. The Social Services agency has not been paid the workers contributions for June, July or August and no IVA was paid for the second quarter leaving around 50,000 euros owed.
The monthly salaries of the workers totals 100,000 euros and Ruíz says that in October the municipality will have a new problem in having to find the cash to pay them. If there is no money available he says he will close the doors.
The small municipality in the Serranía has just over 1,7000 residents, many of whom are Britons, and is in debt to the tune of 1.5 million euros. It recently arranged a 218,000 euros loan to pay off some of its bills.
Ruíz came to power a year ago when with the backing of four Partido Andalucista councillors he threw out the socialist mayor, Teodora de Molina. Amongst the PA councillors backing him was former mayor Francisco Corbacho who has since resigned after being barred from office by the courts for misappropriating funds.
So who is to blame? Ruíz has been quick to say it’s all the fault of the socialist government in Madrid for its handling of the economic crisis and the socialist regional government for not giving public finance or granting construction licences on which the municipality has in recent years relied.
However the secretary of PSOE in Málaga, Francisco Conejo, has called on the PP to “put in order” the municipality of Gaucín. He accused the PP of having mayors who did not respect the law and pointed out that Ruíz enjoyed one of the highest salaries amongst municipalities under 20,000 inhabitants earning 14 payments of 2,500 euros a year.
WINNING WINE
Cortijo Los Aguilares bodega in Ronda has won the Grand Gold Medal in Switzerland for its Pinot Noir 2008. The wine was the sole winner at the prestigious Mundial de Pinot Noir event held in Sierre at the end of August. It was in competition with 1,143 wines from 25 countries and was judged by an international panel of wine experts and journalists.
BOTANICAL SUCCESS
Ronda’s environment councillor, Alberto Orozco, was delighted with the success of the first Jornadas Ambientales de la Serranía de Ronda. Around 100 people enrolled to participate in the conference on the botany of the area. The event coincided with the 200th anniversary of the botanist Simón de Rojas visiting the Serranía and a plaque was unveiled in his honour in the Alameda park. In addition two pathways through the Alameda were named after de Rojas and fellow botanist Moritz Wilkomm.
PLAZA CHANGE
The awaited changes to Ronda’s plaza de España by the Tajo bridge and Parador hotel will start in October and take four months to complete. The works will cost over one million euros and will be funded by the State ‘Plan Zapatero’ created to ease the effects of the financial crisis. The works will include a roundabout to improve traffic flow and lessen congestion.
LOW PRICES
Ronda held its tradition September cattle fair in the days after the Pedro Romero feria. It is one of the most important in Andalucía and has in the past attracted 20,000 animals but this year was badly hit by the economic crisis. Only around 100 deals were done and in some cases prices were down 50 per cent especially for horses, mules and donkeys. Pure bred horses were said to be on offer for 500 instead of 1,000 euros.
