The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, is expected to make a public statement today on his political future after he withdrew from public engagements last week following the announcement of the reopening of an investigation into his wife’s affairs.
Our Spanish news headlines today are 34 people arrested for extorting victims through online dating platforms with sexual content, eight people arrested for half a million euro “Man in the middle” scam, and two criminal cases against women to be heard in Alicante.
A few places around the country celebrate local holidays today, amongst them are Matorell in Barcelona, Tomelloso in Ciudad Real, and a few towns around Alava.
The week starts in Spain with the publication of the spring Financial Stability report by the Bank of Spain.
In addition, in the eurozone, industrial production for February and total reserve assets for March will be known.
The European Commission presidential candidates’ debate takes place.
The Office of National Statistics (ONS) will publish their latest report on persistent poverty in the UK and EU.
We will also have the Q1 GDP for Republic of Ireland.
Contents (click to jump ahead)
Spanish News Headlines
The Guardia Civil has dismantled an organisation for extorting more than 100 victims throughout the national territory through the publication of fictitious advertisements on online dating platforms with sexual content. In the operation, 34 people have been arrested and another 27 have been investigated.
Seven home searches have been carried out in the towns of Valencia, Burjassot, Alfafar, Sedaví and Tous, where 50 mobile phones, bank cards, 6,505 euro in cash, 180 grams of hashish, 281 grams of marijuana and 164 grams of amphetamines have been seized, in addition to prohibited weapons (extendable defence, personal defence spray and large machete) and spy cameras.
The Guardia Civil, within the framework of operation Doctor-51, has dismantled an organisation and arrested eight members of it in Almería, for swindling more than half a million euro with the “Man in the middle” method. Among those detained are the corporate manager, the people who acted as economic mules and their recruiter.
The detainees intercepted the emails of the injured companies and modified their account numbers to receive the money that was intended for them. In total, the money swindled reaches 638,442 euro and it is not ruled out that this figure will increase, since the organisation operated not only at the national level, but also in other European countries such as the Czech Republic, France, Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy and internationally in the United Arab Emirates, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
On Monday, the Alicante Court judges a man for whom the Prosecutor’s Office is provisionally requesting sentences of nine years and twelve months in prison for a crime of sexual assault, accused of “sexually attacked his wife taking advantage of the fact that she was sleeping” at the family home in the Alicante town of Altea, on December 27, 2022.
In a separate case, the Provincial Court also judges a man accused of raping a woman on December 3, 2022 in Alicante. The victim had her mobile phone snatched, gave chase, fell and was sexually assaulted. The Prosecutor’s Office initially requests a seven-year prison sentence for him for the crime of rape.
To read these articles in full, visit SpainToday.news
Traffic and Travel
The roads will be busier than normal due to the holidays this week, Wednesday being a national holiday, and Thursday a significant day for Madrid. A special traffic operation will take place in various areas from Tuesday and through the weekend.
Remember to check the traffic and weather conditions before you set off, and plan your journey in advance.
For information and updates about driving in Spain, visit N332.es
Official Websites for Travel Information
- For live traffic reports, visit the DGT traffic map
- For weather warnings, consult AEMET
- DGT Twitter account
- AEMET weather related road information
- Aemet Twitter account
- For flight information, check the AENA airport operator’s website
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