Spain, Morocco Discuss Fate of Pardoned Pedophile
Spain said Monday it was in talks with Morocco on the fate of a Spanish pedophile who had his pardon revoked after it sparked angry protests in the north African country.
King Mohamed VI of Morocco on Sunday revoked a pardon granted to Daniel Galvan Vina, who was convicted of raping 11 children aged between four and 15 and sentenced in September 2011 to 30 years in prison in Morocco.
A royal palace statement said the king had been unaware of the nature of Galvan's crimes and had ordered a probe into his release.
"After the last statement by the king of Morocco which revoked the pardon, the Spanish and Moroccan ministries of justice are in contact to decide what to do, how to proceed now," a Spanish foreign ministry spokeswoman told Agence France Presse.
Galvan was among 48 Spanish prisoners who was pardoned by the king and freed last week from jail in response to a request from Spanish King Juan Carlos, who visited Morocco in mid-July.
Galvan is in Spain but at an unknown location, the Spanish foreign ministry spokeswoman said.
"According to the latest information we have, he is in Spain, but we do not know where," she said, adding that he could be in Ceuta, a Spanish exclave on the northern tip of Morocco.
Spanish daily El Pais said he arrived in Ceuta on Thursday.
The pardon sparked outrage in the north African country, which has seen several high-profile pedophile 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.
Galvan worked at the University of Murcia in between 1996 and 2002, latterly as an Arabic language teacher, the university's president, Jose Antonio Cobacho, told reporters.
"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," he said.
Galvan, who is of Iraqi origin, moved to the Moroccan port city of Kenitra in 2005, Spanish daily newspaper El Mundo reported without citing its sources.
The Moroccan court which convicted Galvan accused him of having "taken advantage of his neighbor's financial difficulties" to sexually abuse the minors, the newspaper added.
Source: Agence France Presse
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://cdn.naharnet.com/stories/en/93162 |