After eleven years, the alleged perpetrators of a fire which destroyed the BRM supermarket in Marbella are due to appear in court.
The investigation into the fire, which also affected other buildings, concluded that it was set deliberately in order to fraudulently claim the insurance money. On trial are the caretaker at the supermarket, Manuel T, and the owner of the supermarket chain, José Manuel B.
According to the prosecution, the fire, which started at 05:00 on September 13th 1997, was apparently started by the caretaker in an insurance scam. The accused was in charge of turning on the oven in the ‘La Canasta’ bakery section each morning and it is alleged that he doused the whole area in flammable liquid, jammed the sprinkler system and then ensured that there was a short-circuit which subsequently caused the blaze which destroyed the premises.
It is thought that the supermarket was suffering from losses in the region of €6 million at the time of the incident.
The trial is set to take place on December 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 15th. The prosecution is demanding a three year prison sentence for each of the defendants.