ACQUITTED OF POLOP MAYOR'S MURDER

All six men on trial for the shooting of Polop mayor walk free

IN A VERY close jury verdict delivered on Wednesday, all six men that stood accused of the murder of late Polop mayor Alejandro Ponsoda were acquitted and walked freely out of Alicante provincial courts.

Alejandro Ponsoda was shot dead outside his house in Xirles (Polop) on October 19, 2007.

Over 12 years down the line and after this week's verdict, his distraught daughters are no closer to having justice for their father.

Main suspect and Sr Ponsoda's successor in the mayor's office, Juan Cano (pictured above entering the courthouse), walked out freely on Wednesday

insisting on his innocence and demanding he be left alone by the dozens of journalists who have gathered outside the courthouse since the trial began on January 13.

The jury's verdict was five against four in favour of acquittal - a controversial narrow decision against which the lawyer representing the victim's daughters María and Fátima Ponsoda has already announced further litigation.

After the sentence was delivered, their lawyer insisted there were 'inconsistencies' in the people's jury verdict and that key witnesses 'changed their statements' during the trial.

Under Spanish law, in order to obtain a guilty sentence the vote must be at least seven in favour, while acquittal requires only five - as was the case.

Accusations against Sr Cano for allegedly conspiring to murder Sr Ponsoda alongside local shoe entrepreneur Salvador Ros and La Cala Mesalina brothel manager and owner, Ariel Gatto and Pedro Hermosilla respectively, have all been dropped.

So have the accusations against alleged contract killers Radim Rakowski and Robert Frank, both Czech national who were suspect of carrying out the shooting.

The accusation was mainly based on the statement of a protected witnesses who claimed to have seen a secret meeting held among the accused at the brothel to plan the crime.

The witnesses, who had been a mercenary in Africa, claimed a contract for €35,000 was planned in summer 2007.

However, during the trial, he admitted he was unable to confirm that the shooting was actually carried out by the hitmen.

The accused faced prison sentences of up to 27 years if found guilty.

Sr Cano was arrested in November 2009 for planning the crime and was released following the payment of a €20,000 bail eight months later.