Guardia Civil officer told to pay back salary

A TORREVIEJA-based Guardia Civil officer has been asked to return six months’ salary (€18,905) for a period when he had been working, according to the AUGC officers’ association.

Jacobo Tortosa, after 28 years of service most recently at the traffic department in the municipality, had undergone spinal surgery twice for a degenerative illness when, in October 2018 he received a letter saying he was being retired due to his loss of psychophysical abilities.

This announcement would come into effect once it was published in the official state bulletin but to his surprise he received another letter orderhas ing him to go back on duty from the beginning of January, this time undertaking administrative work in the Torrevieja headquarters.

A document from his superior shows that he worked there without reproach until the end of April when he was informed in writing again that he was being retired. Ángel did his duty and accepted this, despite the lack of explanation, and once his new situation became official in the BOE on July 12 he thought he only had to wait for his pension.

However in July 30 the bulletin of the ministry of defence published that he had to return the wages he had earned during his final months of work.

He became ‘desperate’ as he no income because he has not started receiving his pension. He went to the AUGC’s legal services, who lodged an appeal with the Guardia Civil and the ministry that has not yet been resolved. To date, neither institution has offered any explanation.

Government sources told state news agency EFE that the ministry of defence is demanding the money and claimed that in October 2018 Sr Tortosa was told he was ‘fit with limitations’ but not retired. Once he had started his new work he applied for retirement, which was approved in March this year but never acknowledged receipt of the letter, they claimed.