Spring has finally come to Almuñécar. The weather is like summer in Scandinavia. From our kitchen window we see a ‘vega’ that is greener than I can remember. Yellow, pink and white flowers and bushes are all over the place. The house martins have arrived to their nest on our terrace, and a peacock we call ‘Paavo’ comes and visits us every day for his helping of bird seeds.
Yes, we and our neighbours share the joy of having this magnificent bird visiting our gardens. It is an Indian peacock with a blue chest and green and blue tail feathers. I don’t know where he comes from. He could be wild from birth or he might have escaped from a previous owner. He has roamed in our neighbourhood since last summer, and seems to be in good fettle. A while ago I saw him spread out his feathers like a colourful fan to chase away a pigeon that tried to steel from his plate. I hope he will find a peahen to show this splendour to, instead of letting it go to waste on a common pigeon.
Talking of peacocks, the Operación Malaya seems to have come to its final stages. Former Marbella mayor Julian Munóz sits in jail again, this time in Madrid and his ‘peahen,’ famous folk singer Isabel Pantoja is facing a 24-month jail sentence. Munóz is accused of corruption and money laundering (70 million euros) and ‘La Pantoja’ for knowing, profiting and not telling. A lot of laundering going on there!
Even Spanish royalty has been hit by scandals. The yellow press have stopped lamenting Princess Letizia’s extreme thinness. They seem to have far more interesting things to do. Mr Iñaki Urdangarin, 45, who is married to the King’s youngest daughter Cristina, has been accused of embezzling millions of euros of public funds under the umbrella of a non-profit organization, the Noos Institute.
He has appeared before the judge a couple of times, but the final sentence is not due yet. His wife Infanta Cristina will appear before the judge during the last week of April, and her involvement in the case will be established in May. Mr. Urdangarin, a former handball player, may take up a job in Qatar as a technical expert of the national handball team. The position has allegedly been offered to him by the head coach of the Qatar team, an old acquaintance of Urdangarin’s from his handball days in Barcelona. If he takes on the job, Princess Christina and their four children will join him when the school term is over. This is good.
It has been a hard time for the whole family, and especially for the four children. I cannot help but feel sorry for these felons. Isabel Pantoja is the victim of a veritable witch-hunt. On television you could see how the sensation-greedy public nearly trampled her down outside the court house when she tried to reach her car. I came to think of the mob at the decapitation of Marie Antoinette in 1793.
People have not changed much since those days. Mr. Urdangarin and his family are also hunted by similar mobs and the paparazzi. These serious crimes will be severely punished in due time, but the public could show a bit more consideration and not behave like wild beasts.