Antonio Banderas ordered to cede property

Madrid, July 02: Spanish Hollywood actor Antonio Banderas will have to cede a part of his property in the southern jet-set resort of Marbella to the city council, because the land was acquired illegally by the previous owner, the daily El Pais reported Wednesday.

Banderas bought the seaside villa with a swimming pool in 1997. It later turned out that it had been built partly on protected land with an illegal licence. About 18,000 illegal building permits were granted under 1991-2001 populist mayor Jesus Gil y Gil. Gil, who died in 2004, faced numerous court cases for corruption. The new Marbella general urban plan requires Banderas to give up a lateral part of the property measuring about 1,250 square metres, which blocks public access to the nearby beach, according to the daily. In 2003, a regional court ordered Banderas to demolish part of the villa, but the authorities later found easier solutions to legalise properties which were acquired illegally under Gil. Banderas often spends Easter or summer holidays in Marbella with his wife, US actress Melanie Griffith, and other family members. IANS