The request by the private prosecution against Manel Ezquerra, currently a deputy for the PSC party, was formalized at the Instruction Court 2 of Lleida. The petition includes a 6-month fine for an alleged crime of coercion against two local police officers from his former municipality.
In addition to the financial penalty, significant compensation is sought for the two officers. One is claiming 1,738 euros, while the other requests 9,166 euros, covering days off work due to the “psychic and emotional trauma” caused by the events.
We felt threatened and coerced by the attitude of the then deputy mayor.
During his statement, Ezquerra strongly denied the coercion charges. The former mayor argued that his intervention was limited to expressing his view that the police had not provided “adequate attention” in a previous incident.
The officers testified that Ezquerra reprimanded them for failing to arrest a neighbor with whom the politician had an ongoing conflict. This attitude, according to the police, was the direct cause of the feeling of threat and coercion.
