Madrid mayoral hopeful Esperanza Aguirre to be tried for a misdemeanor

Esperanza Aguirre, the Popular Party (PP)’s candidate to become the next mayor of Madrid, will have to stand trial on misdemeanor charges involving a traffic incident.

A veteran politician who headed the regional government between 2003 and 2012, Aguirre made headlines on April 3, 2014 when she double parked on Madrid’s busy Gran Vía avenue, then drove away when officers were giving her a ticket.

Aguirre made headlines after she double parked and drove away when being given a ticket

In her rush to get away, Aguirre knocked down a police scooter and a car chase ensued, with patrol cars following the conservative politician to her house in the capital’s Malasaña neighborhood.

Aguirre has claimed in her defense that the officers were deliberately retaining her much longer than necessary, possibly in the hopes that passersby would recognize her.

Madrid’s Provincial Court on Monday accepted the prosecution’s appeal against a lower court’s decision to shelve the case. Instead, Aguirre will be tried for a misdemeanor, and face a fine.

At the same the court also rejected the appeal filed by one of the officers involved for lacking both legal standing and any evidence of injuries suffered.