A Guardia Civil officer based in Inca has been docked five days' salary for having contravened Covid measures that applied in June 2021.
Around 1.30am on June 5, he was drinking with a group of people in an outdoor space in a residential area of Chiclana de la Frontera, Cádiz. This group was causing a nuisance to residents. Two local Guardia Civil officers went to the scene, at which point everyone, except the Inca officer and one other person, ran off. He was not wearing a mask and had not been observing the safe distancing rule. When asked for identification, the Central Military Court notes that he "responded evasively and displayed an attitude inappropriate for a member of the Guardia Civil".
The court adds that he obstructed the work of the two officers, meaning that they were unable to fine the other people at what was an illegal outdoor drinking party ('botellón'). His behaviour was arrogant. He stated that he had been a Guardia Civil officer for "many years and knew what his obligations were, questioning the correct actions of the two officers".
He appealed a sanction of ten days' loss of salary that had been imposed following disciplinary proceedings. He argued that his right to defence had been violated and that the sanction represented a lack of proportionality. He sought the annulling of the sanction, but the court was only prepared to lower it from ten to five days.