Leandro San Ginés, owner of the company Grúas San Ginés, denounced today on Radio Lanzarote that his company is being "persecuted" by the traffic unit of the Civil Guard, "day in and day out." "We have been intercepted by the Civil Guard detachment for a long time," said San Ginés, adding that "we have submitted a series of writings to the different commanders of the Civil Guard, because we consider that this situation is not correct."
Currently, Grúas San Ginés is waiting for these writings to be answered, the last of which was presented in May. At that time, the claim was presented to the Insular Directorate of the General Administration of the State, as well as to the sergeant and the captain of the Civil Guard, because what happened in the spring drove the workers and owner of the company out of their minds. At that time, "one of the drivers had to be admitted to the hospital due to the attitude of one of the men in the detachment."
The businessman believes that he is being blatantly persecuted by the security forces, as a result of events that took place eight years ago. On that occasion, San Ginés himself was accused by one of the members of the traffic unit of disturbing public order, but a court in Arrecife and the Provincial Court acquitted the defendant of all guilt, and even the judge's order recognized that the agents systematically pursued the cars of Grúas San Ginés.
From that moment on, according to the affected party, the Civil Guard decided to take justice into their own hands. Since then, complaints against the company have come in droves, reaching "130 or 140 complaints in a year." Currently, and due to the alleged persecution to which the Civil Guard subjects one of the most traditional companies on the Island, "there are two complaints filed in the Provincial Court against a member of the detachment." That audacity of San Ginés against the agents of the State security force cost him a lot. Since then, complaints against his company have been filed "day in and day out," even reaching "two or three complaints a day."
The agents' resources to overwhelm the workers are endless and the imagination of some agents is unparalleled. Last Monday, an unprecedented episode was experienced in all the years of the alleged persecution. "A small truck with a tare weight of 1,800 kilos overturned in Playa Blanca and we were notified by roadside assistance to remove that vehicle, so I sent a 13,000 kilo unit," which made the transported vehicle "a toy on my truck," explained San Ginés.
Near Playa Quemada, the company's truck was stopped by a Civil Guard couple, who tried to force the driver to lower the truck from the crane because in theory it was a threat to traffic safety. Although the damaged vehicle had one of the wheels deflated and consequently had a slightly inclined position on the crane, five straps of 1,800 kilos of resistance each held the vehicle on one side. And taking into account that the weight of the vehicle was 1,800 kilos and that there were at least four extra straps, "at no time was there any danger or delays."
When Leandro San Ginés was notified by the truck driver, the businessman decided to travel himself to the place of the detention to supervise the load and instructed his employee not to continue the march and to pull over to the shoulder.
Arriving at the place, San Ginés informed the agents that they would have to report his company giving the reasons for the detention and also would have to issue an immobilization order so that the truck could not continue the march. The most surprising thing is that the Civil Guard refused to carry out the corresponding paperwork, threatening the businessman that if something happened on the road with the load "they were going to come after me."
Despite the fact that both documents have not been issued by the agents, the damage was already done. The service had started at about half past three in the afternoon and at the time of San Ginés' arrival on the Yaiza road near Playa Quemada it was already half past seven. And so, the workshop was already closed and the client, as is logical, was going to demand from the company the reasons why the service was delayed so long. That is why San Ginés demanded the documents from the agents alleging the reasons for the detention. "There is a very big damage and a bad image of my company towards the client, who in turn will complain to the assistance, and the assistance will refer it to me." This is how the businessman explained the damage done by the Civil Guard to the company.
The legal department of the company, faced with what they consider a blatant violation of the most basic rights of any citizen, will denounce this unprecedented situation. Even the company took photographs of the truck to have material evidence of the injustice that has been committed.