A Petition to the British Prime Minister is being compiled on behalf of British people who are victims of the well-publicized Spanish property scandals and abuses. Petitioners ask Mr Brown to voice his disdain, address the Spanish Prime Minister directly, and support a call to the EU for Sanctions on the Kingdom of Spain until these abuses are stopped and justice is delivered. This Petition will also be presented to the European Parliament, pressing for EU intervention.
The Petition highlights an alleged triangle of corruption involving developers, real estate agents, and in particular lawyers who have not given their clients the correct legal representation. Many have purchased property in Spain without being protected by a Bank Guarantee, the Law in Spain since 1968. Those who do have this ‘protection’ find that Banks in Spain are not honouring these legally-binding Guarantees, which leaves them with no choice but to take expensive litigation over many years in an attempt to get their money back. Many Petitioners are eager to sue their original lawyers for collusion and negligence, but cannot find a lawyer in Spain who will enable this action.
Thousands of illegal properties are now being brought into new Town Plans (PGOUs). Judges are ruling in favour of some developers, leaving the off-plan purchaser who refused to complete on an illegal property years ago without redress and facing many thousands of Euros in legal fees, including those of the developer. Some of these developers have previously been charged with bribery involving back-handed payments to Town Hall officials, to build on greenbelt or ‘rustic’ land.
To date, 75% of Petitioners have paid deposits totalling 13.2 Million Euros for properties that are now classified as illegal, or not even built many years later. 24% of Petitioners have discovered that they have completed on illegal properties. These properties cannot be re-sold and face possible demolition. For these owners their homes are now worthless, as it is illegal to live in a property in Spain without a Habitation Licence.
Suzanne Wyatt, compiler of this Petition, says “The figures quoted are, I believe, just the tip of the iceberg. Many of us feel like powerless hostages, while criminal actions are being legalized. Developers who have built illegally have repeatedly postponed court cases, and been allowed to Appeal on Judgements against them, when they have clearly broken their own Spanish Laws. They are being given far too much lenience by the Spanish Judicial system, deliberately causing as long a delay as possible within the courts, until they are eventually granted Habitation Licences for said properties. EU Laws have undoubtedly been breached, and we believe that EU Sanctions are now the only way to force the Kingdom of Spain to clear up this mess, deliver justice, and restore the well-known British love and respect for Spain and her people”.
Supportive signatures and personal experiences are encouraged via a dedicated website: www.spanishpropertyscandalpetition.co.uk
