The Court orders Mónica Oltra to stand trial against the opinion of the investigating judge
The court, which acquitted Rita Barberá and Francisco Camps in other cases, believes that it "cannot deny" this right "to the prosecution"
ValenciaThe Provincial Court of Valencia has overruled the investigating judge—who had requested the case be dismissed—and ordered a trial to proceed against former Vice President of the Valencian Government Mónica Oltra and nine other defendants for the alleged cover-up of the sexual abuse of a minor under guardianship by Luis Eduardo Ramírez, Oltra's ex-husband, who was convicted for these acts. The decision also goes against the opinion of the Public Prosecutor's Office and supports the various far-right organizations that either represent the victim or are acting as private prosecutors. The provincial court stated that the investigating judge "cannot deny the prosecution" the opening of the trial "if there is a probability that the facts could be considered as falling under conduct reasonably deemed" criminal by them, according to a statement released Tuesday by the High Court of Justice of the Valencian Community, which has not yet provided the ruling to the parties involved, including Oltra herself. The case had been dismissed twice by the investigating judge.
The far right in the case
Judges Pedro Castellano, Clara Eugenia Bayarri, and Isabel Sifres have upheld the appeals filed by the private prosecution, representing the victim, María Teresa Tanco—through far-right lawyer and former president of España 2000, José Luis Roberto—and the two public prosecutions, represented by Vox and the association Gobiérna-Te, led by far-right activist Cristina Seguí. The court disagrees with the opinion of the public prosecutor and the investigating judge, Vicente Ríos, who has twice dismissed the case and maintains that the investigation failed to establish, "even circumstantially," that Oltra, or any senior official in the regional ministry, gave any order "aimed at concealing the facts or discrediting the minor." According to Ríos, the investigation also failed to demonstrate that the former vice president was aware of the events until August 4, 2017, when a court notification arrived at her home. She also acknowledged that it was not the Compromís leader who ordered the investigation by the regional ministry into the case once it was already in court, and that this procedure was not intended to discredit the victim or hide the events that occurred between December 2016 and February 2017.
Compromís has consistently attributed the Provincial Court's actions to the conservative bias of the Fourth Section, presided over by Judge Pedro Castellano. Specifically, they have pointed out that this section has issued several rulings favorable to the People's Party, such as the dismissal of the case concerning the alleged illegal financing of the municipal group led by Rita Barberá in Valencia and the case against former president Francisco Camps for alleged irregularities in the organization of Pope Benedict XVI's visit in 2006. The same court also acquitted the 18 defendants accused of belonging to the neo-Nazi group Frente Antisistema (FAS) in 2005 in what was known as Operation Panzer.
"Dirty War"
The investigation forced Oltra to step back from frontline politics. She did so on June 21, 2022, five days after being formally charged, when she resigned as vice president and spokesperson for the Valencian government, then presided over by the Socialist Ximo Puig. During the press conference in which she announced her decision, the Compromís leader argued that her indictment sent the message that "any politician who wants to implement policies that don't favor the powerful will be targeted with false accusations, dirty tricks in the courts, and lies." "The bad guys win," she summarized.
"The Money Trail"
Oltra has always maintained that the case stems from an operation orchestrated by major business figures and the political right. Specifically, she has cited Vox co-founder Cristina Seguí; former Valencian president Francisco Camps—one of the lawyers for the prosecution is Pablo Delgado, a business partner of the former head of the Valencian government—and Alberto de Rosa, then director of Ribera Salud—a company that held the concession for several hospitals—which the progressive government of the PSPV, Compromís, and Unides Podem brought back under public management. According to Oltra, it all stems from the businessman's discontent after the Valencian government reduced his opportunities to "profit from healthcare." "In any political witch hunt, you have to follow the money trail," she stated during a debate in the Valencian Parliament.