10 (!) year jail sentence for ...

  • Thread starter Thread starter icebaer69
  • Start date Start date
I

icebaer69

Guest
... fernando ferré (grupo playa soul) ?

www.spotlight-forums.com/showpost.php?p=1164541&postcount=404
www.spotlight-forums.com/showpost.php?p=1194765&postcount=98
www.spotlight-forums.com/showpost.php?p=1175012&postcount=4
www.spotlight-forums.com/showpost.php?p=1086258&postcount=75
...


"...
Controversial Catalan Facing Jail

The secretary of the largest General Workers Union on the island, UGT,
has expressed his satisfaction at the public prosecution service's call
for the controversial hotelier, Fernando Ferré,
to serve a ten year jail sentence.

The plea comes after two of the hotels owned by Ferré´s company, Grupo Playa Sol,
were raided in February 2006 and around 30 immigrant workers arrested.
The properties, S´Estanyol and San Remo were undergoing a total reconstruction
at the time.
Diego Ruiz claimed the arrests followed complaints by his own union
about the situation at both hotels.
He added that Ferré had by far the most cumulative denuncias of any hotelier
on the island, and was renowned for his non-compliance of even the most basic
worker's rights.

If found guilty the Catalan businessman could now face up to ten years in prison,
although he has argued his innocence since the very beginning,
claiming he was unaware of the individual status of each of the workers
at the site and had contracted a company to carry out all of the reforms.
A trial date has yet to be set.
..."
(ibiza-sun)
 
icebaer69 said:
... fernando ferré (grupo playa soul) ?
... had by far the most cumulative denuncias of any hotelier
on the island, and was renowned for his non-compliance of even the most basic
worker's rights.
...
Click to expand...

"
...
secretary general of the UGT of Hotel business in the Pitiüses, Fernando Fernández,
affirmed that the last quota of irregular workers that Ferré has brought to the island
they signed a contract edited in Czech and without complying the legal guarantees required,
by the one that accept to charge 320 euro monthly,
when the minimum wage in hotel business in Spain grazes the 1,000 monthly euro.
The majority of these workers are Poles and Rumanian, affirmed Fernández.

UGT is afraid that this businessman -for the one that the public prosecutor asks a grief of 10 years
of prison by this type of irregular labor practices- he continue hiring more illegal labor
in the next months, when "from June a recovery in the contracting be produced"
due to the arrival of the main months of the tourist season.
...
we knew that there werepeople working from February that lived in the basements
of the hotels, without light neither water ...
..."
(www.diariodeibiza.es/secciones/noti...do-Ferre-contratar-ilegalmente-casi-empleados)
 
"...
Union Complaints

The Trade Union, CCOO, has made an official complaint against Grupo Playa Sol (GPS), the hotel group owned by the controversial hotelier, Fernando Ferré. Representatives claim up to 300 foreign workers are being exploited having signed contracts which would earn them around €320 per month, in several of the company's hotels including the Nautilus and Costa Sur in the bay of San Antonio, as well as the Mare Nostrum in Talamanca.
They claim there are far more cases of people affected, but that it has been difficult to quantify due to the fact that many of these staff members are moved from hotel to hotel depending on where they are scheduled to work that day.

Most of those affected are from Poland and Romania, the majority of whom have signed contracts in Czech which they were unable to understand. Many are paid as little as €320 a month for a six day week, in addition to food, and accommodation which many have complained is in cramped conditions, with four people having to share rooms of only 10-12 square metres.

The Union admitted they had received reports that after their plight was revealed last week by the Diario de Ibiza, many had now signed improvements to their contracts, entitling them to between €800 and €900 every month. However, the situation is far from ideal and CCOO seems certain to try and put an end to the sorrowful conditions of some of the neediest on the island.

Ferré currently owns just over 60 hotels on the island, amounting to around 14 per cent of the total beds available.

Wednesday saw inspectors from the Employment Ministry visiting both the Costa Sur and San Remo in the bay of San Antonio. They took away copies of several Czech contracts, which they said would be studied to check their legality.

The president of the Hotel Federation, Roberto Hortensius, said he was mystified as to how such abuse could occur in Spain, and said the system was failing some of the most unfortunate.

The Diario de Ibiza also revealed, over the weekend, that several of the hotels owned by the group which have closure orders against them, have once again opened their doors. The Island Council announced on 30th March they would prohibit any of the establishments whose paperwork was not in order from opening, a ruling which has so far not been carried out. Amongst those affected are the hotel Catalina in San Antonio, the Blue Star apartments and the Tropical Garden, none of which have been officially registered at the Island Council´s tourist department.

The man himself released a statement on Friday denying any of his employees were working illegally. He called his company, GPS, emblematic and added that he gave work to thousands of people, both Spanish and foreign, all year round, in Ibiza and Mallorca.
..."
(ibiza-sun)
 
"...
GPS Fined

The controversial hotelier Fernando Ferré, owner of Grupo Playa Sol (GPS)
has been fined a total of €3,982,000 by the Social Security department
for irregularities in the contracting of numerous workers at his hotels.

The fine comes after numerous visits to six of Ferre's hotels which included
San Remo,
Costa Sur,
the Maritimo,
the Nautilus, all of which are in Cala de Bou,
as well as the Mare Nostrum in Playa den Bossa, ...

This is in addition to several visits to the company's headquarters
on the outskirts of Ibiza Town.

€2.1 million of the total fine is in relation to 71 cases uncovered,
in which GPS had illegally placed workers on self-employment (autonomo) contracts,
when they did not have permission to be working as such.

The rest of the fine, €1,872,901, was given for not registering around 300 workers
brought from Eastern Europe with the Social Security office.
GPS contracted the workers via a Recruitment Consultancy in the Czech Republic,
and all were registered to the social security system there,
when they should have been registered in Spain.
This is believed to have saved Ferre tens of thousands of euros in social security tax.

The secretary of the Workers Union, UGT, Pepe Pedrido, said the sentence
was a reminder to all businesses that illegal practices would be punished.
He continued that GPS was not the only company who bent the rules,
and encouraged employees to make official complaints
if they believed they were not being treated fairly.
..."
(ibiza-sun)
 
"...
I'm off

The controversial hotelier behind Grupo Playa Sol, (GPS),
issued a statement last week claiming he would stop investing on the island
with immediate effect.

The decision comes, according to the press release from Fernando Ferré,
because of the constant visits of inspectors, something which no other group
on the island has to put up with.

The statement continues that the group will now start to invest in Mallorca
and other European cities.
This had always been a part of their plans for the future, but has been accelerated
by the lack of support received in Ibiza.

The statement also denied the group had been fined €3,982,000
for two serious irregularities concerning employees.
However, despite the denials, the authorities confirmed the fines had been issued
and GPS were fully aware of them.
..."
(ibiza-sun)
 
i was not happy with the way a hotel used to stay in for many years.that today i have booked another hotel.glady not in the same group.little more money but worth it.a lot of regular people i know are doing the same this year.

its bad when even the staff pof the hotel.don;t understand basic english.in case of fire or even any help.they look at you funny.give me a spanish person any time.one thing is that the spanish are well smart /clean and don;t smell like immigrant workers .put me right off my food some days.it did get sorted out in the end.took a while but a few hints put her straight
 
if not enough people have booked to go in a gps place,they seem to move them all into one.or if there is a few in the hotel.they tend to tell them to go to ? to have your meals.lastyear in early may and late oct. a lot of people booked s/c ok.there place was closed with sign saying go to this hotel?.for which they was upgraded to h/b.

but this happens also to fiesta hotel group.mainly in late oct.but this is in playa den bossa.you can understand its not worth opening just for say 200.so they move them all to one hotel.
 
The other side of the coin – I’ve used the same hotel for many years now & about 3 years ago it became part of the GPS network. The majority of the staff remained the same as did the management of the hotel so at least there was continuity there – there were little or no changes to the hotel itself and if anything there have been slight improvements.

The tariff did rise – but dealing with GPS has always been efficient and professional so touch wood I’ll be back again later this year.
 
which hotel was that.mine was the algarb in playa den bossa.the headwaiter went plus the headchef and pool guy.all the staff are not happy who have stayed on.i am guessing they will not be there this year.food went down hill from day one.and if you ever did stay in.for which i did not.its was like watching a bunch of kids just messing about.its lost that hotel feel to it.and the standed of guest is mainly young ones now.more like a run down youth club.

most are on b/b so takeaway items left everywhere.and the noise at night is unreal.i will pop in end of may.to see if its got any better,but i don;t think it will be.and yes staff members are living underneath this hotel.your lucky to get one word of english out of them and no way can they understand spainish.shame really.but mine and a lot of other peoples money is going to other hotels in pdb.

no pool guy was on when i was there in may/and oct.plus not once in 16 days and 18 days did they have a fire drill.just missed the fire in the room they had though.
 
"...
Court Case

The controversial man behind the hotel chain, Grupo Playa Sol, (GPS),
is set to be in court yet again in the near future after he was accused
of defrauding the Inland Revenue.
The accusations were made by the Public Prosecutor and focus on the employment
of hundreds of Czechs working in many of the group's hotels last summer.

Ferré claimed the majority of the workers had been contracted
via an employment agency in the Czech Republic which he owned.
Their social security was therefore paid in their country of origin,
which was said to have saved the Catalan up to €120,000.
However, the Public Prosecution team claims most of the contracts were made
months after they had first come to the island, making the process illegal.

The businessman already faces the prospect of a lengthy jail sentence
following a raid on two of his hotels in Cala de Bou in 2006
which led to the discovery of hundreds of illegal workers.

According to reports in the Ultima Hora newspaper Ferré already owes
the Consell around €300,000 in unpaid fines, and has closure orders
on a total of five hotels.
..."
(ibiza-sun)
 
"...
GPS Closure

The Island Council has ordered the closure of the hotel, Costa Sur-Sol Post,
apartments in the bay of San Antonio for not possessing the necessary permits
to operate.
The ban comes with a €60,000 fine.

In addition to this the owners of the establishment, Grupo Playa Sol, (GPS),
have also been fined €10,000 for various other offences.

Another hotel within the chain, Hotel Marco Polo, was also fined €10,000
for not having the proper permits, but this will not be ordered to close.
..."
(ibiza-sun)
 
Catalina?

Ok this whole GPS fiasco is starting to worry me, A gang of us (10+) have booked to stay in the Catalina in JUly, Has anyone been there this season or heard any thing about closures? Any help would really be appreciated!
Stacey
 
stacojono said:
Ok this whole GPS fiasco is starting to worry me, A gang of us (10+) have booked to stay in the Catalina in JUly, Has anyone been there this season or heard any thing about closures? Any help would really be appreciated!
Stacey
Click to expand...
Don't worry too much,they have loads of places and will put you somewhere !
It seems to depend on who you have booked with if you will be told in advance or not.
Edit: In the event of your hotel being closed or overbooked.
Good luck :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
"...
More Fines

On Friday the Island Council approved fines totalling over €180,000
for the hotel group, Grupo Playa Sol, (GPS).

The first fine of €123,600 was handed to Club Maritim in Cala de Bou,
in addition to a closure order, for not having the necessary permits
for the activities being carried out, as well as various other minor offences.

The second fine of €60,600 was given to Central Playa for similar offences.
..."
(ibiza-sun)
 
"...
Legal Deal

The controversial businessman, Fernando Ferré, has been sentenced to two years
in prison after his legal team reached an agreement with the public prosecutor.
The trial of the owner of Grupo Playa Sol, (GPS), was due to begin on Thursday
but after a deal was done, the case has now been closed.


The trial of Ferré, pictured, and three other men came as a result of a police raid
back in February 2006 on two of the group's hotels in the bay of San Antonio;
San Remo and s'Estanyol.
Inside the property at least thirteen illegal workers were found,
none of whom had insurance.
The majority were working in excess of 60 hours a week, for around €3.20/hour.

However, the agreement, which will see Ferré paying a fine in the region of €22,000,
will ensure he does not have to serve his sentence, and it will remain suspended,
as it is below three years and he does not have any previous convictions.
Two of the others in the dock were given similar sentences,
both of which will, again, remain suspended.
The fourth man accused will have to serve part of his sentence
due to the fact he has a previous conviction.

The public prosecutor explained that part of the reason a deal had been reached
was due to the fact Ferré had paid €6,000 in compensation to each
of the thirteen workers involved.

Earlier in the week the Island Council had criticised the fact that none of the hotels
owned by the controversial businessman had yet been closed,
despite the fact several currently have a closure order.
They claimed that the proprietor of GPS had used the complicated legal system
to his advantage, to ensure all of the properties threatened have remained open
for another year.

The Councillor for Business Development, Jose Serra Mayans, said he understood
the frustration of the other hoteliers on the island who were complying with the law.
He revealed that the complex structure within the group, with different companies
owning the hotel whilst the administration was carried out by another,
had helped to prolong the court battle.

GPS owes the Island Council alone over €300,000 in unpaid fines,
and there are closure orders, or outstanding fines,
on a total of seven of his properties, including the hotels
Maritimo, Nautilus, Panoramic and Tropical Garden.
..."
(ibiza-sun)
 
theibizasun



Ferré Arrested

The controversial Catalan businessman, who owns a large proportion of the hotels on the island, as well as two in Mallorca, was arrested on Friday accused of tax evasion, money laundering, and falsifying documents. Fernando Ferré Cardó is the owner of 58 establishments all over the island, representing between 15,000 and 16,000 beds, which is 20 per cent of the 80,000 hotel beds available, making his company, Grupo Playa Sol (GPS), the largest on the island with some 5,000 more beds than the Fiesta Group which lies in second place.

During the afternoon of his arrest he was admitted to the private Vilas Hospital, complaining of feeling unwell; strangely, the same thing happened four years ago when he was arrested over a different matter.

It appears several months ago the Income Tax Office detected a possible case of fraud and contacted the National Police, who continued to investigate the case. For a start, he had not paid IVA (Spanish VAT), nor had he paid Company taxes, and several of his documents contained irregularities. His son (also called Fernando Ferré) was also arrested at the same time, as playing a part in the affairs of his father. Two properties, one in Sant Jordi, the other in Avenida de España in Ibiza Town, owned by the Ferré family were searched and numerous documents removed to the National Police Station for further investigation.

Last November he was sentenced to two years imprisonment for the fraudulent contracts which he had given to thirteen labourers, who had been working on the renovation of two hotels in San Antonio Bay, the San Remo and S´Estanyol, during the winter of 2005/6. He escaped jail on that occasion, as he had compensated these workers with €6,000. At that time he had no previous convictions, again criteria in his favour which ensured the sentence was suspended; however, if found guilty this time, he will have to complete this previous conviction.

The two major unions, CCOO and UGT, have both continually denounced Ferré for irregularities in work contracts. He had employed workers from Eastern European countries and given them contracts from the Czech Republic, paying them €320 a month. He also employed illegal immigrants, who had to pay their own self-employed insurance contributions but work as though they were part of the regular staff.
Now the worry is what will happen to the GPS hotels and their staff. The representative of the UGT Union, Fernando Fernández, stated that "we do not know what will happen, but hope that the Company continues to function. Reservations have been made and the personnel are working, so I imagine this will be taken into account". The Secretary of the CCOO Union, Consuelo López, commented that "(Ferré) does not stop acting like a delinquent and has committed fraud, and treated his workers as if they were "hams" (a derisory expression), and had moved the work force from one place to another in extremely poor conditions".

On the same day of his detention, the Consell de Ibiza had placed a fine of €24,600 on GPS, specifically, the Calas de Ibiza Apartments in San Antonio Bay for several offences including a lack of complaint forms and not displaying the official rate tariff. Over the years there have been several orders to close establishments belonging to the group, none of which has yet to be carried out, as his lawyers have presented "new evidence" as to why they should stay open. The Consell claimed it felt helpless to a certain extent concerning the number of legal technicalities which have been produced, and allowed Ferré to keep running businesses which do not come up to present day standards.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top