Freed paedophile rearrested in Spain after Morocco pardon fiasco

[PeterCriss]

Freed paedophile rearrested in Spain after Morocco pardon fiasco

Release of Daniel Galván on Sunday after serving barely two years of 30-year sentence sparked riots outside Morocco's parliament

Stephen Burgen in Barcelona
The Guardian, Monday 5 August 2013 23.08 BST

Demonstrators in Morocco protest against the release of Daniel Galván. Photograph: Abdelhak Senna/EPA

A convicted Spanish paedophile whose pardon by the King of Morocco sparked riots there has been arrested in Murcia in south-east Spain.

Daniel Galván's arrest is the latest episode in a diplomatic farce that began with his release at the end of July along with 47 other Spanish prisoners held in Moroccan jails, the majority of them on drugs charges, after Spain's King Juan Carlos allegedly appealed for their pardon.

He was released on Sunday after serving barely two years of his 30-year sentence for sexually abusing 11 children aged between three and 14, leading to riots in front of the parliament building in the Moroccan capital, Rabat.

In response to the protests, Morocco's King Mohammed VI revoked Galván's pardon late on Sunday, saying he would never have granted it had he been aware of the seriousness of his crimes – but Galván had already left the country.

Initially there was speculation that Galván, an Iraqi with Spanish citizenship, was pardoned on the orders of Spain's secret service, for whom he had allegedly been working as a spy in Iraq.

It then emerged that the Moroccan authorities had been presented with two lists by the Spanish government: one with the names of 15 prisoners to be pardoned, and the other with 33 prisoners to be sent to Spain to complete their sentences. The king mistakenly pardoned them all, including Galván, who went to Spain with the help of Spanish authorities.

The country's royal palace then issued a statement saying that the king had not presented any list of prisoners and in fact had only interceded in the case of Antonio García Vidriel, a 58-year-old truck driver from Seville who is seriously ill. He was sentenced to six years in 2012 for smuggling hashish. In the event, García's name was not among the 48 and he remains in prison while his son, who was serving 10 years for the same offence, was among those pardoned. The two were caught smuggling nine tonnes of hashish concealed in a shipment of watermelons.

It is now appears that the list of 48 prisoners was compiled not by the royal palace but by the Spanish embassy in Rabat, under the supervision of the Spanish foreign ministry. The fiasco has cost the chief of the Moroccan prison service his job, but as yet no heads have rolled on the Spanish side.

Galván, who abused children from poor families with single mothers whom he invited to parties in his house, was picked up by Spanish police in a hotel in Murcia after the Moroccan authorities issued a warrant for his arrest via Interpol.

Two senior Moroccan civil servants will arrive in Madrid on Wednesday to discuss the fiasco. They will be received by the international justice minister, Angél Llorente. Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, the Spanish justice minister, and his opposite number, Mustapha Ramid, pledged their "absolute co-operation" in resolving the situation.

Spain's opposition socialists are demanding an explanation as to why the country's authorities supplied Galván with an on-the-spot passport on his release from jail.

During his trial, Galván, whose victims were as young as three, was asked by the judge: "Why did you come to Morocco to abuse children?" He replied: "Because it's cheap and with money you can get anything you want."

His release led to demonstrations in several Moroccan cities that were violently put down by police.

 

[SIMM0NS]

Spain arrests paedophile mistakenly pardoned by King of Morocco

A Spanish paedophile who was pardoned by the King of Morocco has been rearrested in Spain, after the north African monarch expressed anger at his mistaken release of the prisoner.

Daniel Galvan Vina was convicted of raping 11 children and sentenced to 30 years in prison in Morocco Photo: EPA

By Harriet Alexander
5:35PM BST 05 Aug 2013

King Mohamed VI of Morocco pardoned Daniel Galván Viña, 64, who was convicted of raping 11 children aged between two and 14, without knowing about his crimes.

But on Monday afternoon he was detained in the Spanish city of Murcia, and was likely to be sent back to prison.

Galván was sentenced in September 2011 to 30 years in prison in Morocco, but was pardoned by the King last week and freed – sparking protests in Morocco. The pardon was revoked on Sunday.

"His Highness would never have consented to the release of Daniel Galván, in light of the atrocity of the monstrous crimes of which he has been found guilty," said the palace in a statement.

Galván, who was born in Iraq, moved to Spain in 1976 and the Moroccan port city of Kenitra, 25 miles north of Rabat in 2005, Spanish daily newspaper El Mundo reported.

The Moroccan court which convicted Galván accused him of having "taken advantage of his neighbour's financial difficulties" to sexually abuse the minors, the newspaper added.

"Why did you come here to abuse Moroccan children?" asked the judge sentencing him.

"Because they are cheap, and you can get hold of anything with the right money," he said.

The Spanish embassy in Morocco reportedly gave the Moroccans a list of 18 people who they approved for pardon, and a further 30 which they wanted sending to Spain to serve out their sentences. Galván was in the second group – but Morocco mistakenly pardoned all 48 prisoners.

A "thorough investigation" would be opened, the palace promised, to determine who was responsible for this "disgraceful liberation." The Moroccan director of prisons was sacked on Monday for his role in the mistaken release.

Galván was among 48 Spanish prisoners who were pardoned by the King and freed in response to a request from Spanish King Juan Carlos, who visited Morocco in mid-July.

The pardon sparked outrage in the north African country, which has seen several high-profile paedophile arrests in recent months.

On Friday night, baton-wielding police dispersed several thousand people who tried to protest in front of the parliament in Rabat. Sit-ins planned for Casablanca on Tuesday and Rabat on Wednesday were still due to go ahead.

Galván worked at the University of Murcia in between 1996 and 2002, latterly as an Arabic language teacher.

"He carried out his duties correctly. He was a fellow during the first two years and then he had a work contract for four years," said Jose Antonio Cobacho, the university's president.