October 2020 | Page 14

News
Montano jailed

Date format mix-up compensation

A former colonel who served as El Salvador ’ s deputy minister for public security during the country ’ s civil war between 1979 and 1992 has been sentenced to over 133 years in prison by a Madrid court . Inocente Orlando Montano ( pictured above ), now 77 , was extradited to Spain in 2017 and has been found guilty of the deaths of five Spanish priests in 1989 . They , their housekeeper and her young daughter were dragged from their from beds and killed by soldiers during a guerrilla offensive in the Salvadoran capital .
Trials continue
Some volunteers are reported to have dropped out of trials of a Covid-19 vaccine in Spain after a serious side effect was reported in similar UK trials . However , the procedure is now continuing at Madrid ’ s La Paz Hospital . AstraZenca ’ s trials were put on hold worldwide on September 6 , but the British team started work again eight days later .
Climate lawsuit
Three environmental groups have launched a lawsuit against the Spanish government accusing it of not doing enough to tackle climate change . Greenpeace , Ecologists in Action and Oxfam want a court order requiring Madrid to “ increase its climate ambition ” in order to to comply with its international commitments . Similar action has previously been launched by green groups elsewhere in Europe including France , Germany and the Netherlands .
902 outlawed
The Government is reported to be planning to outlaw use of the premium rate 902 phone prefix for customer information or service lines . Consumer Minister Alberto Garzon says there has been widespread misuse of these lines which increase the costs incurred by a caller who is exercising the right to complain . Plans are being drafted to force consumer advice lines to apply prices which do not exceed the usual rates for landline or mobile calls .
A family from Madrid have been cleared of child abuse allegations after a mix up over date formats had led to them being investigated . Now , almost three years on , they are asking for compensation of € 27,000 in damages from the State .
Their nightmare began on November 23 , 2017 – the day of their son ’ s 18th birthday – when four police officers and a court clerk arrived at their home at 9.15am and began searching the premises . They refused to explain their reasons for being there as they started examining mobile devices and getting increasingly frustrated as they turned up no evidence .
Police also visited the family ’ s older son who lived in Aranjuez , confiscated his portable device in front of his colleagues and searched his car . At this time , the case was under seal by court order and the family had no idea what they were suspected of , although it
An interview with a former lover of King Juan Carlos has thrown new light on his abdication . The first monarch in the period after Spain returned to democracy in 1975 stood down in favour of his son , now King Felipe , in June 2014 .
Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein , a German-born Dutch entrepreneur , became a close friend of Juan Carlos between 2004 and 2009 , and has been accused of receiving a gift of € 65 million from him , alleged to have been part of a bribe he received from the Saudi royal family . She claims that Juan Carlos was the victim of a coup d ’ etat led by his wife , Queen Sofia , who worked with other members of the royal family and the then President of Spain , Mariano Rajoy , to force him to abdicate .
In the interview with Paris Match magazine published on September 17 , the 56-year-old aristocrat related remarks which Juan Carlos allegedly made to her in private . “ He was very appeared to involve child abuse .
When the seal was finally lifted in February 2018 , it was discovered that the authorities in the USA had complained to Spain about an Internet user who had uploaded images of child abuse to Facebook . However confusion had set in when the Spanish authorities interpreted the date , written in the American month / day / year format , in the European day / month / year format , leading them to trace the wrong person .
Lawyers for the family only discovered the error after finally acquiring court papers which took considerable efforts after the case had been shelved . Spain ’ s General Council of the Judiciary , the legal watchdog , has confirmed that the mistake was made and resulted in damage to the family , who , they said , should receive compensation . The case is now in the hands of the Justice Ministry .

King ’ s lover tells secrets explicit in confiding to me ,” she is reported to have said .

She claims he told her , “ I have two fronts in front of me . The first is made up of my wife and her lieutenants . She is in a hurry to put her son ( now King Felipe ) on the throne , because she has much more influence over him than over me . The second is played by Mariano Rajoy who aims to castrate me and weaken the monarchy .”
Asked about Juan Carlos ’ recent departure from Spain under a cloud , Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein said , “ Sending the ex-king with his fragile health into exile and in the middle of the Covid period is irresponsible .”
And of the current financial allegations against him , she claimed that the revelations are “ manipulated and used in a sensational way to create a gigantic controversy ,” but , she added , “ Everything is motivated by a political agenda .”
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