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E mbezzlement Charges Upheld By Court
A six month trial has led to the conviction of eight people, on charges of fraud and embezzlement in the 'Gescartera' brokerage house, during June 2001. Gescartera was rumbled and lost its licence, when it was discovered that over 100 million euros of some 2,000 clients' money was missing. The collapse caused massive political unrest and the resignations of the Junior Finance Minister and President of Stock market regulator 'CNMV.' Judges passed prison terms of between 3 and 11 years to those concerned, while penalties totalling 88 million euros were ordered to be paid out to investors who lost money, including various churches and charities. Two of Spain's respected savings banks, 'La Caixa' in Barcelona and 'Caja Madrid,' were also found liable, having handled the majority of the fraudulent transactions. Two of their employees were among those convicted. A Parliamentary enquiry overruled any Government responsibility for the operation.
Royal Revelations Provoke Public Unrest
A collection of private letters written by King Juan Carlos to Prince Felipe during the 1980's has been published in a new book, without consent. The letters were sent whilst Felipe was studying in Canada, and contain wise words to the impressionable future Monarch, including one example, "You must be seen to be spirited, even if you're tired; you must be kind, even if you don't feel like it; attentive, even if you're not interested; obliging, even if it's hard for you...." A spokesman for the Royal Family has announced that the letters were genuine, but that the journalist, José García Abad, had published the material without the permission of the King or the Prince. He said that the Royal Family were 'very surprised' to learn of the incident. It is not yet known if further circulation of the book will be prohibited.
Paedophile Release Encourages Questions
An investigation has been launched into why a convicted paedophile, who has now been accused of killing a five-year old girl, was previously acquitted. Judicial Authorities have been forced to examine the reasons why a 52-year old man from Huelva escaped prison and was free to commit what could now be another brutal attack. The man was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison during 2005, for the sexual abuse of his 5-year old daughter. He also received a two-year sentence during 2002 for abuse of a 9-year old girl, although was never actually imprisoned for the assault. He has now become the prime suspect in the disappearance of Mari Luz Cortés, whose body was discovered 7 weeks later near the river estuary to the city. Some 600 protesters barraged the man with rocks and bottles as police brought him into the courthouse for questioning in connection with the murder. The child's family are now confident that justice will be done.
Government Condemns Violations of Gender Law
A nursing team has won the backing of their Regional Government, in a fight to regain their bonus pay, which was cut when they refused to wear skirts for work. The Government of Andalucia has announced that it will not tolerate any breach in the Spanish Gender Equality Law, when a private clinic in Cádiz cut the nursing staff's productivity bonus of 30 euros per month because they came to work wearing the same jogging pants that had been issued to their male colleagues. The Chair of the Nurses Working Committee said, "We feel like ornaments in the skirts. We don't have freedom of movement and can't bend over to tend to patients. We are made to expose our bodies to do our work." Having heard their complaint that the company were promoting a 'discriminatory dress code,' the Government was in agreement and has made the legal services of the regional Women's Institute open to the nurses to press charges. They may feel more than a 30 euro dock in pay after that though!
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