The Superior Court of Justice of the Valencian Community has issued notice that the former mayor of Torrevieja, Pedro Hernández Mateo, is to enter prison to service his criminal sentence at 12:00 on Wednesday the 23rd of July.
Hernández Mateo was sentenced to three years in prison on charges of forgery and breach of trust in connection with Torrevieja´s problematic, and now expired, waste disposal contract in 2004.
Hernández Mateo has been following a path of appeal for clemency since he was sentenced in November of 2012, despite every level of the judicial appeals process confirming his guilt. Supporters had claimed that he was too old to be sent to prison and a petition of support was organised to collect signatures to keep him free. However, a petition to ensure he served his sentence gathered more signatures as more people seemed to want to see justice being served.
His last ditch attempt at freedom was for the Spanish government, formed of the same political group with which he belongs, the Partido Popular, to approve he remained free, but they too have started to deny clemency for political figures found guilty by the courts, seeming to favour the opinion that politicians are not exempt from serving their sentence in the event of being found to have acted in a criminal manner whilst in office.
Hernández Mateo must appear to the secretary of the court in Valencia, where he will be incarcerated. The notice states that his failure to attend will result in an immediate arrest warrant being issued against him.
Filed under: http://www.theleader.info/article/44356/
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