Spain’s Supreme Court Orders €2.5m Payout for 15-Year Wrongful Jailing
Supreme Court Ruling and Background
Compensation Awarded After Long Legal Battle
MADRID, June 20 (Reuters) - A Moroccan man who spent 15 years in prison for rapes he did not commit and who said the Spanish justice system had ruined his life is to be awarded 2.5 million euros ($2.87 million) in compensation, Spain's Supreme Court ruled.
Ahmed Tommouhi’s Story
Ahmed Tommouhi, 75, a bricklayer from Morocco who moved to Spain to start a new life in 1991, was jailed for 24 years for two rapes and one count of robbery in Catalonia, northeastern Spain, in the same year.
Cleared After 15 Years in Prison
In December, he was cleared of the last of the charges against him after a long-running campaign to prove his innocence during which one of the victims came forward to say he was not the attacker.
Impact on Tommouhi’s Life
"The justice system has ruined my life," Tommouhi told reporters on Friday. The money wouldn't give him back his health or youth, he said, adding "they've stolen 36 years of my life."
Details of the Supreme Court Decision
Spain's Supreme Court on Thursday reversed an earlier order by the National Court which had refused to pay Tommouhi compensation, even though he was cleared of the offences, and claimed there had been no mistakes in his original trial.
Judicial Error and Overlooked Evidence
The Supreme Court said Tommouhi was the victim of an "unequivocal and qualified" judicial error at the original trial in Barcelona.
The court did not consider an expert biological test which showed the perpetrator of the rapes was not Tommouhi, the Supreme Court said.
Additional Information
($1 = 0.8720 euros)
(Reporting by Graham Keeley; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
