GIL governed Marbella beginning in 1991 on a platform of fighting petty crime and carrying out public ornamental works in the city.

At the same time, Marbella was known as a refuge for British, Italian and Russian crime lords.

After Gil was removed by a Spanish tribunal on charges of political corruption, Julián Muñoz, (also known for his romance with singer Isabel Pantoja), assumed the mayoralty of the city.

He was later ousted by GIL members supporting Marisol Yagüe Reyes with the help of a turncoat Spanish Socialist Workers' Party councillor who had been a vocal critic of corruption.

In March 2006, Yagüe and most of her administration were brought to trial on charges of corruption concerning their management of urban development and planning permissions in Marbella.