Former judge of the National Court Manuel Garcia-Castellon sued the Podemos MP and former minister before the Supreme Court, Ione Belarra, for calling him “corrupt” and accuse him of procrastinate and requires a compensation of 120,000 euros for raping his right to honor.
“Today the BOE publishes the forced retirement of Judge García-Castellón. We said it months ago and now it is confirmed, this and others corrupt judges who procrastinated Against those of us who defend another idea of Spain, they will get away with it without any sanctions thanks to the PSOE. Shame“, Belarra wrote on September 2 when it was announced that she was retiring.
In his trial, to which he had access Europe Press and which was presented to the Supreme Court because of the status of Ione Belarra, who until a few weeks ago was an investigating judge at the National Court, qualifies as “defamation” these words against him.
According to him, “they exceed the threshold of protection of freedom of expression, since they are not limited to legitimate criticism, but constitute a direct and personal attack on integrity and reputation” of him, “with expressions that have no reasonable relation to legitimate criticism and that are disproportionate and useless to convey any informative objective.”
“There is no doubt that the expressions used by Belarra lack legitimate public interest and are “scandalous and offensive”he insists, adding that the protection of the right to honour must prevail in this case over freedom of expression, since “the Constitution does not recognise a so-called ‘right to insult’, which clearly falls outside the scope of constitutional protection.”
Belarra’s response
THE Belarra’s reaction He did not wait long and insisted on linking the former magistrate to corruption within the judicial system and continuing the “dirty judicial war” against Podemos.
“There is a complaint against me for telling the truth, that what he did to protect the PP and persecute right-wing political opponents is corruption, with or without conviction,” he wrote this Friday on social networks.
García-Castellón has not wanted to retire and the dirty judicial war against Podemos continues. He is suing me for telling the truth, that what he did to protect the PP and persecute right-wing political opponents is corruption, with or without conviction.
– Ione Belarra (@ionebelarra) September 20, 2024
120,000 euros
This is why García-Castellón is asking that the leader of Podemos be ordered to pay him 120,000 euros in compensation, considering: “flagrantly” violated his right to honor for a publication “clearly aimed at harming his honour in a humiliating manner”, “seriously attacking his person and his professional career which, as we know, has always been impeccable”.
The former judge’s defense claims that Ione Belarra’s message means that “he is currently object of ridicule many people.” In this sense, he joins several comments from users who, in the thread of the publication, called him “mess” and they wished him a “a sad, long and painful retreat.”
The former judge highlights what caused him “serious damage, changing his current calm and peaceful life, as well as harm your health since all actions and decisions as a member of the Spanish judiciary have had the objective of guaranteeing the impartiality required to administer justice,” he says.
“The publication of Ms. Belarra – and the comments that follow from it – are totally unacceptable and uncertain, given the impeccable record of Mr. García-Castellón who, in more than 45 years – specifically forty-seven – of professional practice, has had no defect in his record,” he said.
His defense highlights the “an impeccable judicial career” of the former judge, who “throughout his professional career was independent and impartial, judging with prudence and knowledge of the facts and the law in a spirit of social conscience, rationality, fairness and reason, emphasizing his personal commitment to continue training in different subjects that were presented to him, deserving for all the above reasons such infamies”.
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