• Leaders of ‘Manos Limpias’ and Ausbanc face charges of extortion, blackmail
• Former ultra-right activists targeted politicians, judges & Spain’s Royal Family
The high-profile arrests on criminal charges of two former ultra-right activists behind Manos Limpias (“Clean Hands”), a self-described labour union with no membershi and no registered worker representation at any workplace in Spain, and its principal sponsor, the financial services consumer association Ausbanc, have unraveled a decades-long strategy of filing of dubious lawsuits against left-wing and liberal causes and activists — and, most recently, even Spain’s royal family, long detested by the ultra-right for the role of former King Juan Carlos in fostering Spain’s transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.
The arrests on multiple charges of extortion, intimidation and criminal association of Manos Limpias president Miguel Bernad and Ausbanc president Luis Pineda occurred in the midst of the ongoing “Caso Noos” trial in Mallorca, in which Manos Limpias as principal plaintiff has filed accusations of corruption against Cristina de Borbon (sister of current King Felipe VI) in conjunction with the business dealings of her husband — and then, according to Cristina’s lawyers, demanded a payoff of 3 million euros in exchange for dropping the charges.
Over the past two decades, Manos Limpias has filed countless lawsuits against public and private organizations on charges ranging from public indecency to violation of Spain’s Constitution, and has especially targeted leading left-wing politicians and activists judges. Most notable among these was its relentless campaign against Baltasar Garzón, filing 16 different lawsuits over several years against the former federal prosecuting judge who investigated Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet on international human rights charges, ultimately contributing to his disbarment by Spain’s Supreme Court from practicing as a judge for his “unconstitutional” investigation into rights abuses under the Franco dictatorship.
► Read More in Spanish at El País, La Vanguardia and El Diario …
► Read More in English at AFP via France24 …
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