High Court sees no reason to pardon PP youth leader convicted of manslaughter

The High Court has opposed a pardon request filed in the name of Ángel Carromero, the Popular Party (PP) youth branch leader convicted of manslaughter in Cuba following a road accident in which Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá died in July 2012.

The judges, who included all the public prosecutor’s considerations in their document, did not see any reasons of justice, equity or convenience to pardon the New Generations leader, who is currently categorized as an open-regime prisoner in Spain and subject to electronic tagging controls.

The final decision on the matter will, in any case, fall to the Spanish Justice Ministry.

In their report, the judges point out that the facts judged in Cuba have the same legal weight in Spain and that Carromero had already had his driving license revoked at the time of the fatal crash. They also refer to prior offenses connected to “the committal of violations related to road safety, and which brought with them the loss of the administrative authority to drive.”

The report underlines that information supplied by the Centro de Insercíon Social Victoria Kent corrections facility shows he has expressed no remorse over what happened.

It adds that as Carromero enjoys the status of an open-regime prisoner, he is able to continue his professional life without any limitation.

The pardon request was filed by Carlos Alberto Payá, the brother of the deceased Cuban dissident.

In the event that the Spanish government ultimately decides to grant Carromero a pardon, it is obliged to communicate its decision to the Cuban authorities.

The PP youth leader was initially imprisoned in jail in Cuba from July 23, 2012 until December 29 when he was transferred to Spain to serve out the four-year sentence handed down to him on the Caribbean island.