The Power of the Paedos - another high profile case hits the 'never happened' wall?

[Jan Klimkowski]

A royal pardon for a serial predatory paedophile who was found guilty of abusing 11 infants and children between the ages of 3 and 14.

And they're just the ones this scumbag spy was formally charged with.

Is anyone surprised?

Galván is an Iraqi from Basra and appears to have acquired his Spanish name from the secret service, along with a new identity as a retired professor of oceanography. He moved to Rabat eight years ago where he organised parties in his home for poor and vulnerable children whom he then abused and photographed.

A royal pardon for the sexual abuse of street children.

Dozens injured in Morocco at protest over Spanish paedophile's release

Police baton-charge protesters after royal pardon and release of Daniel Galván Viña who served two years of 30-year term

Stephen Burgen
theguardian.com, Sunday 4 August 2013 15.06 BST

police clash demonstrators Rabat Morocco
Police clash with demonstrators outside the parliament in Rabat after the release of convicted Spanish paedophile Daniel Galván Viña. Photograph: Mustapha Houbais/AP

Dozens of people were injured at the weekend when police in Morocco baton-charged demonstrators protesting at the royal pardon granted to a Spanish paedophile. Daniel Galván Viña was released after serving barely two years of the 30-year sentence he received for sexually abusing 11 children aged from three to 14.

The royal palace said in a statement on Sunday that King Mohammed VI would never have signed the pardon had he been aware of the seriousness of Galván's crimes. Galván, 64, was the last name on a list of 48 Spanish prisoners submitted by Spain's King Juan Carlos for pardon. Most of the others had been jailed for drug trafficking. The Spanish royal palace publicly expressed the crown's "deep gratitude" when the prisoners were pardoned on 30 July.

According to the Moroccan digital newspaper Lakome, Galván was released at the express request of the CNI, Spain's national intelligence agency. The organisation allegedly extracted him from Iraq where he worked as a spy within the military under the regime of Saddam Hussein. Galván is an Iraqi from Basra and appears to have acquired his Spanish name from the secret service, along with a new identity as a retired professor of oceanography. He moved to Rabat eight years ago where he organised parties in his home for poor and vulnerable children whom he then abused and photographed.

According to Galván's lawyer, the pardon came as a complete surprise to his client but he lost no time in contacting the Spanish consulate in Morocco to expedite his departure. Lakome says his release may form part of a spy exchange between Madrid and Rabat.

The Moroccan justice ministry said in a statement that such pardons "are granted for interests of state within the framework of friendly diplomatic relations between countries".

Galván's trial and conviction in September 2011 attracted widespread media attention in Morocco. As well as the 30-year sentence, he was ordered to pay €4,800 (£4,170) to the families of eight of his victims.

While many of the 48 prisoners granted pardon have yet to be freed pending payment of fines, Galván was granted safe conduct to Spain's north African enclave of Ceuta without paying the families. The Spanish group Lawyers Without Frontiers is demanding that he complete his jail sentence is Spain.

Further demonstrations are expected this week.

Abdelali Hamieddine, a senior member of the ruling Islamist Justice and Development party, said "Moroccans have the right to demonstrate when they feel humiliated and the authorities don't have the right to react so violently."