Spain Ordered to Pay €2.5 Million to Wrongfully Convicted Man
In a landmark ruling, Spain's Supreme Court has mandated that the government compensate Ahmed Tommouhi, a Moroccan national who endured 15 years of wrongful imprisonment for crimes he did not commit. The court has awarded him €2.5 million (approximately $2.87 million) as restitution for the significant injustice he faced.
Tommouhi, now 75 years old, originally moved to Spain in 1991 with aspirations of building a better life. However, his life took a tragic turn when he was wrongfully convicted in 1991 of two counts of rape and one count of robbery in Catalonia, leading to a 24-year prison sentence. His conviction was based on flawed evidence and a lack of proper judicial scrutiny.
After a prolonged battle to prove his innocence, which included new testimony from one of the alleged victims stating that Tommouhi was not the assailant, he was finally exonerated in December. In his poignant remarks to the media, Tommouhi expressed the pain of losing nearly four decades of his life to the injustices of a flawed judicial system, stating, "The justice system has ruined my life. The money wouldn't give me back my health or youth; they've stolen 36 years of my life."
The Supreme Court's decision overturned an earlier ruling by Spain's National Court, which had denied Tommouhi's claim for compensation by asserting that his original trial had no errors. The Supreme Court, however, highlighted that Tommouhi was subjected to what they described as an "unequivocal and qualified" judicial error, noting that critical biological evidence, which could have proven his innocence, was disregarded during the initial proceedings.
This ruling marks a significant moment for justice in Spain, emphasizing the need for accountability within the judicial system and recognition of the profound impact that wrongful convictions can have on individuals and their families.
As reported by straitstimes.com.
