A British expat has been taken to court by locals and fellow expats alike after allegedly paying himself an €86,700 (£74,000) salary for his role as ‘president of the neighbourhood’ in a Spanish resort.
Stephen Hills, from Tonbridge, sparked fury among residents at the Torre Bermeja development in Estepona on the Costa del Sol last summer when his self-awarded five-figure salary was revealed.
The salary saw the Briton earning more per year than Spain’s second deputy prime minister, and almost as much as the president of Andalucia – home of the Costa del Sol.
Former Estepona mayor David Valadez will be representing residents in court over what he says is a “totally illegal” move by Hills.
The Torre Bermeja complex, where Hills is president, sees apartments reach millions of pounds
The Torre Bermeja complex, of which Hills is president, is one of five at Estepona’s luxury Guadalmansa development, where flats cost as much as £2.2million.
Each of the five complexes elects a president, whose responsibilities include managing maintenance, collecting community fees and payments, and the day-to-day running of the blocks.
The presidents meet regularly to discuss community issues, and can propose changes and rules on which residents can vote – but the amount of second homes in Hills’ complex meant residents were happy to hand their votes to the under-fire president.
Hills’ vote allocation meant he could pass through motions unopposed – including giving himself a substantial salary, the Olive Press reported.LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Hills is earning more per year than Spain’s second deputy prime minister (left), and almost as much as the president of Andalucia (right)
Wikimedia Commons
Hills allegedly established the office of “Administrative Management of the Urbanisation” without the knowledge of the four other development presidents.
It is alleged that Hills used this office to create multiple non-existent job roles through which he awarded himself the extortionate sum “to mask the attribution of a very high salary”, despite development bylaws forbidding presidents earning money for their role at all.
Hills is also accused of pulled out of paying an annual €8,000 (£6,845) community fee, while members of his electorate are still required to stump up the cash.
Valadez told Spanish outlet SUR: “The situation is only now becoming public, but it has been brewing for years… Last year this man received €84,000 (£71,000).
The Torre Almenara de Guadalmansa, behind which the luxury Guadalmansa development can be seen
Wikimedia Commons
“At the general owners' meeting in June, under the pretext that his salary should be brought into line with the CPI, it was increased almost to €87,000 (£74,000). One of the factors is the proxy vote. He has the majority.”
Speaking to the Olive Press, Valadez said: “So many have given him their deferred votes and I don’t think they know what they have been used for.”
The former mayor blamed foreign holidaymakers for letting the shocking misappropriation go unnoticed; “We are talking about a residential development where the majority have completely disassociated themselves from the day-to-day running of the community”, he said.
Valadez continued: “This allows them to enter into arrangements that, in our opinion, are unfair and detrimental to the interests of the community.
GB News has tried to contact Hills for comment.