Junta de Andalucía contradicts the judge at the centre of the Mari Luz controversy

Junta de Andalucía contradicts the judge at the centre of the Mari Luz controversy
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By h.b. - Mar 31, 2008 - 7:14 AM

The parents of Mari Luz Cortés during the funeral for the five year old - Photo EFE

The judge, Rafael Tirado Márquez, in Penal Court 1 in Sevilla had claimed he had no assistant and that this was why a prison order against the main suspect in the Mari Luz case was not issued in March 2006

The Justice and Public Administration department of the Junta de Andalucía has denied claims from Sevilla Penal Judge Rafael Tirado Márquez, that some of the civil servants in his court were off sick for five months. This is the judge who oversee the first guilty sentence against Santiago del Valle, the main suspect in the Mari Luz Cortés case, when the accused was found guilty of the sexual abuse of his own daughter, five years old at the time. Many consider the judge the main responsible for the fact that Santiago del Valle was not sent directly to prison.

The Junta de Andalucía says that only one civil servant assigned to the judge’s court was away, for a 43 day period because of a sprained ankle, and that this person was replaced by the Provincial Government forty days later.

The Junta de Andalucía statement says it is hoping that the General Council for Judicial Power, CGJP, will complete its investigation into the case quickly.

Judge Rafael Tirado Márquez had claimed last Friday that the civil servant was off work for five months, and that he had the use of a replacement for only three days. He said that this was the reason for the delay in issuing the order to send Santiago del Valle to prison at the time, in March 2006.

The argument over the civil servant however does not explain why Santiago del Valle had not served a single day in prison on this and and second confirmed sexual abuse charge, until his link to the Mari Luz case was established.

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