The judicial decision supports the Unified Association of Civil Guards (AUGC), which had appealed the penalties. According to the association, this ruling “curbs the excessive disciplinary rigor” that, in their view, agents in the province of Córdoba have been subjected to.
The events date back to March 2024, when an individual spray-painted the entrance gate of the Córdoba barracks in a matter of seconds. The same individual also targeted other nearby buildings on Medina Azahara Avenue, including the municipal company Sadeco facilities and a gaming hall.
“"The court agreed with us that the principle of legality, in its aspect of typicality of the sanctioned conduct, has been violated, along with the breach of the principle of personal responsibility."
The military court argued that the sanctioning resolution did not specify the concrete negligence of each agent, applying “joint and objective responsibility” without defining the individual infringing conduct. The ruling emphasizes that “culpability cannot exist if there is no participation in the infraction, and that participation has not been proven in the sanctioning procedure”.
As a result of this annulment, the General Directorate of the Civil Guard must return the money deducted from the three affected individuals' salaries, along with legal interest, and remove negative annotations from their service records.
“"Incidents like this confirm what AUGC has been denouncing for many years: the excessive and unjustified disciplinary rigor applied within the Civil Guard, especially to the basic rank of corporals and guards."
The association has also taken the opportunity to request an increase in the staff of the Córdoba Service Unit, which, they claim, “has been understaffed for years and unable to adequately perform its duties”.
