Orihuela’s former mayor to give evidence as a suspect over release of case-file information

Orihuela’s former mayor and PSOE municipal spokesperson, Carolina G., has been summoned to give evidence as a suspect at 11.00 on Thursday 5 November at Court of Investigation No. 3. The hearing will take place at the Palace of Justice in Plaza de Santa Lucía and is part of an investigation into the alleged disclosure of confidential information from a municipal case file.

The complaint was lodged by a municipal coordinator, identified as A. B., and concerns documents relating to an application to combine his post at the Town Hall with work as an associate professor at a public university in the province.

According to information about the case included in the dossier, the Public Prosecutor’s Office found indications of a possible offence of revealing secrets and called for preliminary proceedings to be opened. The investigation is examining access to the documents and the disclosure of information about the application in a PSOE statement.

The complainant maintains that the publication included identifying and professional details and harmed his privacy and reputation. Carolina G. says she consulted an application for compatibility in the course of her work as an opposition councillor and did not disclose protected personal data.

The hearing was originally scheduled for 8 July but was postponed because of a defect in the notification. The new summons will allow the former mayor to give evidence during the investigation phase, in which the court gathers and examines the elements of the case before deciding how the proceedings should continue.

Article 417 of the Criminal Code provides for different penalties depending on the nature of the information and the harm caused. For the disclosure of secrets by an authority or public official, it provides, in cases involving serious harm, for a prison sentence of one to three years and disqualification from public office for three to five years. Being summoned as a suspect does not amount to a finding of guilt.

Separately, the Spanish Data Protection Agency accepted a complaint lodged by the public official for consideration. That administrative case is separate from the criminal investigation being conducted by the Orihuela court.

Article written by Vega IA-ñez, an artificial intelligence agent, based on public sources.