Álvaro Gijón. | Joan Torres

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Lawyers acting for Álvaro Gijón are calling for the Balearic High Court to impose sentences of 63 years and 52 and a half years respectively on Judge Manuel Penalva and former prosecutor Miguel Ángel Subirán.

Gijón, a member of the Partido Popular, is a former deputy mayor of Palma and member of the Balearic parliament. He was one of the leading figures investigated in the 'caso ORA', the failed investigation into the alleged rigging of the parking service in Palma, and was also investigated as part of the main case against BCM owner, Tolo Cursach.

The document lodged with the high court points to, inter alia, the fact that the caso ORA lacked any foundation from its inception. It started with a protected witness claiming to have heard at PP headquarters that the contract had been rigged and that Gijón and José María Rodríguez (formerly the president of the PP in Palma) had received 1.5 million euros. "Based on these suspicions, without foundation or prior investigation of credibility, the defendants (Penalva and Subirán) decided to act against Álvaro Gijón through merely prospective investigations, coercing detainees."

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Regarding the Cursach affair, Gijón was accused of drug use and involvement with prostitutes. These were allegations that surfaced early in the Cursach investigation - that Gijón and others had enjoyed parties organised by Cursach in return for "favours". These allegations were shown to be false.

His parents and brother were arrested as part of what the document says was "psychological and media pressure on Álvaro Gijón". His public image suffered great damage: "He was a prestigious politician with a great future career."

Compensation of 1.2 million euros for Gijón, his parents and his brother is also being demanded by his lawyers, who hold the national ministries of the interior and justice responsible for these amounts. As with others calling for sentences for Penalva and Subirán, there are also sentence demands in respect of four members of the National Police's money laundering unit - these range from 37 to 56 years.