King of Morocco retracts pardon for paedophile
August 6, 2013 ·
The Irish Examiner
Monday, August 05, 2013 – 11:13 AM
Morocco¹s king has withdrawn his pardon of a Spanish paedophile after a spate of protests the first time in recent memory that a sovereign has done so.
But the man convicted of raping 11 children, named as Daniel Galvan Fina, is now believed to be in Spain and it was unclear whether he would be brought back to Morocco.
In a statement, King Mohammed VI said he had asked his justice minister to work with his Spanish counterpart to see how the pardon could be undone in what he described as ³an exceptional reversal². He also ordered an investigation into the pardons process.
The decision was made ³considering the flaws that marred the process, the gravity of the crimes committed and with respect to the rights of the victims², the statement said.
On July 30, at the request of Spain¹s King Juan Carlos, the Moroccan monarch pardoned 48 Spaniards who had been imprisoned in his country, including Fina. Earlier yesterday, King Mohammed said he would not have pardoned Fina if he had been aware of his crimes.
Hundreds of peaceful demonstrators gathered on Friday to rally against the pardon, in a rare protest against the king. The demonstration was broken up by police with clubs, leaving at least 63 people injured.
Morocco¹s king has withdrawn his pardon of a Spanish paedophile after a spate of protests the first time in recent memory that a sovereign has done so.
