Court orders Jesús Gil heirs to pay for the sins of their father

The Court of Auditors has ordered the children of the late Jesús Gil, a larger-than-life and controversial businessman and politician to pay over 100 million eurosin compensation to the municipality of Marbella for accounting irregularities during his spell as mayor of the glitzy southern Mediterranean resort town.

As inheritors of their father's estate, the court ruled his children had also inherited his obligations and ordered Jesús, Miguel Ángel, Fernando and María Ángeles Gil Marín to pay 66.5 million eurosfor the losses caused by the municipality by their late father and a further 39 million euros in interest, local newspaper Sur reported. The irregularities date back to the period 1994-1999.

Marbella gave birth to a massive corruption ring centered on urban planning excesses and bribery initiated under Gil's mandate. The Malaya case, as it has come to be known, involves almost 100 suspects, including two former majors. Juan Antonio Roca, the alleged ringleader blamed Malaya on Gil. The court also ordered former mayors and councilors in the municipal government to pay millions of euros in compensation for the same reasons.