Costa Blanca

The (very suspicious) money abroad of the controversial Torrevieja apartments

The promise of the ideal Mediterranean seaside vacation was the draw that made Torrevieja popular on television throughout the country in the 1980s. But the homes that were listed on Un, Dos, Tres… soon became a nightmare for their owners. Years after the developer abandoned the La Torreta development, there are still problems with the sewage system and paving. The enclave is now a run-down neighbourhood, and some have even voiced their displeasure over squatters occupying mansions and chalets.

The local real estate boom can be attributed to developer Justo Quesada Aniorte, who was the driving force behind Torrevieja’s initial boom. However, one of the construction companies is currently accruing a trail of debts despite having assets and accounts abroad, according to the bankruptcy administrator of Justo y Manoli SL, one of the businesses that is a part of the corporate network of a family that has primarily developed property developments in Murcia and Alicante. Even though they are members of Grupo Masa, his children are gradually distancing themselves from his actions.

In actuality, the company owed the Public Treasury 10.6 million euros, which led the Tax Agency to identify it as a defaulter in 2024. But the liquidated corporation’s problems began far earlier.

A Supreme Court decision states that the business held by Justo y Manoli SL had debts of over 109 million euros in 2015, the year it declared bankruptcy. But it’s important to remember that the aforementioned corporation had 129 million euros in assets and slightly over 107 million in liabilities as of December 31st, 2009.

The Provincial Court of Murcia ruled in 2018 that “the claim that the delay in filing for bankruptcy does not cause aggravation should be rejected, since this delay has not been harmless from the creditors’ perspective.” The court stated that when the bankruptcy petition was filed in May 2015, the assets were estimated to be €41,112,081 and the bankruptcy liabilities totalled €108,969,552.

It has now been demonstrated in court by the bankruptcy administrator that Justo Quesada has funds overseas. Auren Concursal reports on the Tax Agency’s documentation in a July 2024 letter to the Commercial Court number 1 of Murcia.

First, on March 26th, 2024, the businessman filed Form 720 for the declaration of assets and rights abroad with the Tax Agency, revealing that he “holds bank accounts and financial products located abroad” worth around 3.4 million euros. Bank accounts at Credit Suisse (Switzerland), Creand (Andorra), Truist Bank (Florida, United States), Citibank (Florida, United States), and Bank of America (United States) are actually mentioned in the letter to the court.

Furthermore, the assets increased from €6.4 million in the 2019 fiscal year to about €3.2 million in the 2022 fiscal year, as indicated by the Wealth Tax forms for the years 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 that were filed with the Treasury. According to the bankruptcy administrator’s brief, “the executed party’s assets have been reduced by €3,224,733.03 from 2019 to 31/11/2022.”

Accordingly, he believes that “the majority of creditors are home buyers” and that “there has been a progressive and multi-million dollar decline in the assets declared by those executed” following the public administrations.

Through the Masa Group, to which their children are now connected, this publication has attempted to get in touch with the family. However, this real estate development company’s sources deny any affiliation with the Justo and Manoli SL firm. These sources emphasise that “this company has nothing to do with Masa,” but they also clarify that Justo Quesada’s business “is a firm in bankruptcy like so many others.”

In any event, Masa’s spokesperson notes that the case is being brought to court because “the bankruptcy administrator is being sued for malpractice.” “His assets have been declared for more than ten years and have been brought to the attention of the court,” the spokesperson continues. “If Justo and Manoli’s assets had been auctioned at market prices, these debts would not only have been paid, but there would have been money left over,” these individuals complain. The bankruptcy administrator has been approached by this newspaper, but he has not responded.

Manoli’s past has been replete with controversy; for instance, he was previously criticised for constructing 3,500 residences in Camposol (Murcia) without a permit. The Mazarrón City Council was forced to handle millions of dollars in damages to the development’s public facilities, and the Segura Hydrographic Confederation even launched action against the construction business for constructing in the bed of a ravine.

A former Justo y Manoli employee who is aware with the company’s financial records claims that “the parents transferred companies to their children, precisely to avoid the father being seized, prior to the bankruptcy.” According to one worker, who spent a number of years as a management at the construction company, the family’s method of surviving the financial crisis is “not paying suppliers.”

“They have survived real estate bubbles by leaving the companies and not returning until the storm had passed,” adds one former employee, who attests to the fact that home buyers who felt defrauded made a lot of complaints and claims. “I have seen suppliers and clients who have lost everything .”

According to this source, many customers who were left with partially constructed homes did not receive their money returned. “The trick has always worked out well for them,” the former employee complains, despite everything.

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Related Topics:Alicante Children Construction Council Court Local Market Money Murcia Public Tax Torrevieja

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Costa Blanca

Alicante fireworks fire update – one dead, four injured

Firefighters have found the lifeless body of the pyrotechnician from Alicante Pedro Luis Sirvent inside his workshop, located in the Fontcalent area of Alicante, after a tragic explosion that occurred on Thursday morning for reasons that are still being investigated. The incident also caused four injuries, one of them seriously, with burns on 80% of his body, according to emergency services sources.

One of the injured is the son of the pyrotechnic artist and has suffered an anxiety attack, for which he has been treated at the scene of the tragedy. A 43-year-old woman has been taken by ambulance to the General Hospital of Alicante for anxiety attacks and mild smoke inhalation. The most seriously injured person, a 68-year-old man, has been transferred by helicopter to the Burns Unit of the La Fe hospital in Valencia.

The incident occurred at around 11.20 am, when, for reasons still to be clarified, a fire broke out in the warehouse area, where the material for the shows is sold to the public and stored. The Alicante Local Police were the first to arrive at the workshop. With the building still on fire, municipal security officers went in to rescue the victims, explained the mayor himself, Luis Barcala. The mayor was “very dismayed”, since Pedro Luis Sirvent was a very popular man at the Hogueras de San Juan.

Along with numerous emergency teams, police officers from the homicide, judicial, and explosives units (Tedax) have assembled in the area. Both José María Conesa, the top official of the Local Police of Alicante, and Manuel Lafuente, the provincial commissioner of the National Police, have visited the scene of the events.

Soon after, they were joined by the President of the Federació de Fogueres, David Olivares, the Bellea del Foc, Alba Muñoz, the Mayor of Alicante, Luis Barcala, the Councillor for Security, Julio Calero, and the Sub-delegate of the Government in Alicante, Juan Antonio Nieves, among other officials. Two helicopters, one of which was medicalised, two ambulances, and basic life support (SVB) were sent to the scene. Additionally present were firefighters from the Prevention, Extinction of Fires and Rescue Service (Speis) of Alicante and the Provincial Consortium of the Diputación, who used a drone to collect more accurate data on the explosion’s consequences.

To keep the fire from spreading to the location where the fireworks were being made, which is across the workshop’s central courtyard, firefighters have roped off the area.

The Fire Brigade has requested a temporary suspension of the Alicante-Madrid AVE line since the explosion caused some pyrotechnics to fly onto the railway lines. Train traffic had returned at 3:25 p.m.

As a show of unity, the Federació de Fogueres has halted all celebrations this Thursday and Friday. Additionally, the festive organisation has expressed the institutional aim of the Bellesses del Foc and their Dames d’Honor. David Olivares, the president, has visited Fontcalent to personally observe the dire circumstances.

Over 100 emergency workers participated in the effort, which illustrates the tragedy’s scope.

See the earlier story here https://costablancadaily.com/2025/03/06/a-fire-at-a-pyrotechnics-factory-injures-two/

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Costa Blanca

Three injured in head-on crash at El Campello

Two vehicles collided head-on at El Campello yesterday, Wednesday, March 5th, on the N-332 as it crosses Venta Lanuza.

The Cicu’s medical services transported the three injured individuals to various health facilities.

A 36-year-old lady with numerous bruises was sent to the Doctor Balmis General Hospital in Alicante, while a 20-year-old woman and a male were brought to a private hospital for their injuries.

Both accidents, the causes of which are being looked into, were assisted by the Guardia Civil and local police. Given that it has been raining almost all day in the region of Alicante, it is not completely ruled out that unfavourable weather conditions could have contributed to the disaster.

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Costa Blanca

EasyJet cancels a route from Alicante-Elche airport to UK

At Alicante-Elche Airport, EasyJet is now the second-busiest airline. Last spring, the company created a base at the Alicante terminal, which helped it raise passenger numbers by 12%.

The low-cost airline will now start two new routes with southern Europe, about a year after it first opened, as part of its ongoing investments in the El Altet airport. These are flights to Athens, one of the new destinations this summer at the airport, and Naples, which will be extended to the peak season.

EasyJet has terminated its connection to one of the UK cities, even though it increased the number of flights it operates in the spring and summer by nearly two digits compared to previous year. As a result, the airline will still operate flights to Belfast, but it will only link to Belfast City and no longer fly to Belfast International Airport.

This connection, which had two weekly frequencies and will no longer be available, was one of the new ones that came with the opening of its base. On its website, EasyJet lists three flights to Belfast George Best Airport, notwithstanding the cancellation.

Only on October 26th and 30th, as well as November 2nd, will flights from Alicante be able to reach this terminal. On the first day, the flight will leave at 7.20 am and arrive at 9.25 am. On the 30th, it will depart for Belfast at 3.30 pm and land at 5.35 pm. On Sunday, November 2nd, at 7.20 am, the final flight from Alicante will depart once more.

Nevertheless, EasyJet is expanding its frequencies in addition to keeping its connection to Belfast. It will begin operating its service to Belfast International seven days a week in March. In July, it will expand to nine weekly flights, with double frequency on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

In the lead-up to summer, Alicante-Elche airport will be cancelling more connections than just this one. Some airlines have announced the cancellation of flights to a number of their destinations, even though they are expanding during the busiest time of year.

Due to discrepancies in regional airport fees with AENA, Ryanair has discontinued its connection to Santander Airport. Additionally, it is discontinuing its route to Billund, Denmark’s LEGO city and one of its original routes in Alicante.

Another airline, Vueling, recently declared that it will be discontinuing services to a maximum of three locations. These are the links to Rome, Zurich, and Santiago. EasyJet, which has expanded to four weekly frequencies, will also operate the latter.