The widow of the corporal who died in Cerro Muriano asks Defense to suspend the accused commanders

The lawyer for the widow of Córdoba corporal Miguel Ángel Jiménez Andújar, who died along with Seville soldier Carlos León Rico, on December 21 during an exercise in a lake at the Cerro Muriano military base (Córdoba), has sent a letter to the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, requesting the “suspension of functions of the captain, lieutenant and sergeant” prosecuted for the deaths of the aforementioned soldiers of the ‘Guzmán el Bueno’ X Brigade. In said letter, which Europa Press has accessed , the lawyer Antonio Granados has argued that, “having been issued” last January by the Territorial Military Court number 21, based in Seville, an order opening “a summary against the captain, the lieutenant and the sergeant” of the company to which the deceased soldiers belonged, “as presumed responsible for a crime against the effectiveness of the service, and this party being aware that the captain could be participating in the formations of the La Reina 2 Regiment, with the rest of the soldiers , under the orders of the colonel in charge of the Regiment, we are interested in issuing the appropriate resolution suspending the captain, the lieutenant and the sergeant from their duties.” In fact, these commanders, as specified by the lawyer in his letter to Robles, have “already been summoned” to give a “statement as being investigated in court” by the aforementioned military court, which is instructing the open procedure, considering the lawyer who represents the widow of the deceased corporal that the “suspension of functions” of the accused commanders is required “once the request for preventive detention” that she previously presented to him was rejected by the Territorial Military Court number 21 based in Seville. Along with this, and “as this part is aware that the colonel in charge of the Regiment consents to the Captain’s participation in the daily formations, we are interested in initiating an investigation against the aforementioned colonel in chief of the Regiment, since, having knowledge of the unfortunate events that occurred on December 21, 2023 at the Cerro Muriano base, and being aware that the captain, lieutenant and sergeant could be presumed responsible for illegal acts, he consents to the participation of the accused, or at least the captain, in daily training” in uniform. In the letter addressed to the Minister of Defense, regarding the request for suspension of commands, reference is made to “article 111 of the current Military Career Law”, which says the following: “The transition to the situation of suspension of functions of the professional military may be agreed as a consequence of the prosecution, indictment or adoption of any precautionary measure against the accused in a criminal procedure or due to the initiation of a disciplinary procedure for a very serious offense.” For this reason, the lawyer requests “the Minister of Defense of the Government of Spain” to “consider presented this document, and issue the appropriate resolution ordering” the “suspension of functions of the captain, lieutenant and sergeant” accused . It also asks the colonel in charge of the La Reina 2 Regiment to issue a report “where he states whether it is true that on March 5, 2024, the captain formed that day in the morning with his companions. In case of refusal on the part of the colonel, we are interested in the Brigade issuing a report on all the soldiers who on the morning of March 5, 2024 were in formation with the captain under the orders of the colonel in charge of the Regiment.” Along with this, and “if it is affirmative that the captain (lieutenant or sergeant) was in training on March 5, 2024, we are interested in requiring each of the soldiers who made up the training that day, so that they state whether it is true that the defendants participated in it.” Finally, it is also requested that a report be issued “by the Brigade General, stating the service situation in which the defendants find themselves,” that is, the captain, lieutenant and sergeant, “and if they attend to your workplace.”