"Shameful, unworthy and immoral." These have been some of the adjectives used by the Unified Association of Civil Guards (AUGC) itself to describe the pardon granted to an agent of this corps, Manuel Arbesú González, who in 2013 was convicted of omission of the duty to prosecute crimes, after recording a sexual assault on a train while laughing at what was happening.
Although the events occurred in 2011 in Asturias, the truth is that this agent has been stationed in the Canary Islands for years and for "two or three" years he has been in Lanzarote. This has been confirmed to La Voz by sources from the AUGC itself, who did not want to specify in which barracks on the island he is located "for security reasons." What they have also pointed out is that he was previously in Tenerife and was part of the GRS, although he was later removed from that corps and assigned to Lanzarote.
In a statement, the Unified Association of Civil Guards has joined the outrage of other associations and political parties throughout Spain. And it is that, among other things, by granting him the pardon, he has been allowed to continue serving as a Civil Guard.
"If you are sentenced to one day of disqualification from public office, even if it is only for one day, it entails expulsion," they explain from the AUGC. And in the case of Manuel Arbesú González, his sentence was six months of disqualification. However, by granting him the pardon, the Council of Ministers has changed that penalty to a fine of about 500 euros.
"The measure greatly damages the image of the Corps"
"It is intolerable that someone who has been convicted of mocking a sexual assault is going to settle the penalty with a fine of 500 euros," they denounce from the Association. Furthermore, they consider that "this pardon is an attack against the dignity of women."
"The Government's measure is unjustifiable and greatly damages the image of the Corps, since an agent who not only has not prevented the commission of a crime, but has mocked it, will have to ensure the safety of citizens," they insist. In addition, they regret that it also "undermines the work carried out by the vast majority of agents who, with scarce means and lack of resources, safeguard the rights of women on a daily basis."
In the same vein, they regret that this agent, "in his capacity as a civil guard, will have to defend and safeguard the rights of women and, for sure, will have to face crimes such as the one he witnessed, so the pardon that the Government has approved, at the proposal of the Ministry of Justice, is even more reprehensible, unjustifiable and senseless."
After the controversy unleashed by this pardon, it has become known that the pardoned agent is the son of a councilor of the Popular Party in the Asturian municipality of Lena. The PSOE has already asked for this pardon to be reversed.
"Laughing permanently and without intervening"
According to the sentence issued in 2013, Manuel Arbesú González boarded a train heading to Oviedo with a friend, when he began to address a passenger with "obscene" expressions. Even, according to the proven facts, "he put his hand between her legs touching the area of the pubis over the pants."
In addition, he assaulted another passenger who tried to mediate to defend the woman and prevent the abuses.Meanwhile, Manuel Arbesú "was laughing permanently without intervening at any time and even recording on his mobile phone the words that his friend addressed to his victim."
