News April, 1st 2010 by John Grimmett

Marbella police corruption trial collapses

The trial of a group of police in Marbella accused of turning a blind eye to a club that trafficked drugs and of beating prostitutes who refused to provide them with cocaine has been shelved due to lack of evidence.

Only one of the six officers, Gil Jesus Merchan, alias Machota, remains charged with sexual assault, and his trial will continue independently, according to a court order last January. Another officer, Enrique Morante, also known as Quique, remains in jail following remand in October.

In August 2009, the prosecution asked Judge Francisco Garcia Valverde to dismiss charges against five officers for three crimes that came to light during testimony. The judge agreed in January because he saw ‘no connection’ and to ‘simplify instructions’. Cocaine

Witnesses, including employees of the club, accused the policemen of using drugs, molesting and beating women, or vandalizing a house where the women were living if the women refused to provide drugs. However, witnesses later retracted their statements claiming that they had been coerced into naming and signing photographs of the officers.

The other four officers involved – three men and one woman – were accused of aiding and abetting Merchan and Morante by knowing of their visit to the brothel and failing to report it. Charges were dismissed, but they were also removed from service because of their involvement. These four officers have been reinstated, local sources say. Merchan remains suspended from employment while awaiting two court cases.

‘We are convinced that the charges will fail’, Merchan’s attorney, Alejandro Herrera, said. ‘The charge of sexual assault did not even come to trial’.

Herrera added that Merchan will now become a plaintiff and seek injuries against Lilian de Souza for the charges of sexual assault.

Despite the contradictions, the witnesses, all employees of the club, corroborated the aggressive reputation of Merchan, an amateur bodybuilder who was in charge of the police gymnasium for a time. Some claimed that Merchan and Morante had hit them on several occasions, but none had filed police reports or been admitted to hospital.

Some later recanted saying that club managers had coerced them into giving false testimony.