Moroccan King revokes reprieve of Spanish paedophile
Monday, August 5, 2013 @ 7:36 PM
KING Mohammed VI of Morocco (pictured) has revoked the formal reprieve of a Spanish paedophile who was among the 48 prisoners from the country pardoned at the request of Spain's Royal family.
Daniel Fino Galván, a retired Spaniard who owns three apartments in Kenitra, north of the capital, Rabat, was jailed for 30 years in 2011 for the rape of at least 11 children aged between four and 15.
His reprieve and release from custody sparked violent protests in Rabat, as well as in Kenitra, Tetouan and Tangier, and national outrage last week.
Demonstrations were also held outside the Moroccan embassy in Paris, a city with a very high population of north Africans.
Following King Juan Carlos of Spain's recent visit to the north African country – his first Royal engagement abroad since his latest operation, this time on his spine – the Moroccan monarch, a close personal friend of HRH Juan Carlos, agreed to release 48 Spaniards.
Reprieves to prisoners are standard practice on the day of the national festival to celebrate the anniversary of the King's coronation.
Most of these had been jailed for offences related to cannabis-smuggling, and included a 67-year-old man who has always claimed the drugs were planted in his delivery lorry without his knowledge.
But King Mohammed VI says he had not been made aware of the nature of the crimes of the released prisoners in many cases, and in particular that of Sr Fino Galván.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com