Jesús Gregorio Gil y Gil (March 11, 1933 – May 14, 2004) was a Spanish politician and businessman. Born in El Burgo de Osma, Soria, Castile, Jesús Gil made most of his money in the construction business. He was arrested and spent time in jail in 1967 when one of his buildings in Los Ángeles de San Rafael (Segovia) collapsed, killing 58 people. He was eventually released by order of the Spanish Head of State Francisco Franco, after allegedly paying a sum of money. He was the president of the Atlético Madrid football club and served as a mayor of Marbella. He founded and led the Grupo Independiente Liberal (GIL) as his political vehicle. Gil was famous and controversial for his extreme right-wing political views. His critics labeled his business dealings as shady, insinuating ties to organized crime. Marbella became a popular residence for British, Italian, and Russian gangsters while he was mayor. At the same time, however, Gil instigated several crackdowns on drug users and lux-prostitutes. Gil was involved in several criminal cases, including the so called caso de las camisetas and Caso Atlético. In April 2002 he was banned for 28 years from holding public office and was forced to stand down as mayor.[1][2] He died from a brain hemorrhage.
Trivia
- Had a horse called Imperioso.
