The Unified Association of Civil Guards (AUG) has assured this Saturday that the withdrawal of the medal of merit Civil Guard owned by Víctor de Aldama After it was granted by the Ministry of the Interior in 2022, it is “impossible” to withdraw it with current legislation.
The organization has also stated that the head of the department, Fernando Grande Marlaska, “must recognize” this fact after this Friday assured that they were studying how to withdraw this distinction. This was expressed by the AUGC in a statement in which it denounced that this situation “shows, once again, the lack of transparency and the questionable criteria that govern the granting of these distinctions.”
The organization affirms that this type of recognition generates great discomfort among the civil guards themselves and has thus attacked what they describe as “marketing” of this type of decorations that are delivered “without the knowledge or participation” of the agents of the Armed Institute. This, they denounce, ends up “favoring” people who are actually unrelated to the Civil Guard such as businessmen, politicians, journalists, judges or prosecutors, “without knowing what criteria this practice obeys.”
Given this scenario, the organization has requested that the Interior “urgently” review the regulations for granting medals and that the cases in which they are awarded to people who are not part of the Civil Guard be “exceptional” cases. “The Aldama case is a recent example that shows the urgent need of a change that gives legitimacy to these decorations,” they denounce.
The medal awarded in 2022
The Ministry awarded the medal to Aldama in 2022 with a white badge. Despite this, this Friday Interior assured that they were considering removing it “as soon as possible,” although the organization recognized that it is likely that this could not be made effective until there is a final conviction, as long as Aldama ends up being prosecuted.
The AUGC’s request is formulated just one day after Aldama, who remained in the Soto del Real prison until this Thursday for the Hydrocarbons case, left prison after testifying before the judge who paid commissions to socialist leaders in the framework of the Koldo case.
The alleged commission agent also assured that, in the past, he had collaborated by providing information to the UCE2, the anti-terrorist information unit of the Civil Guard, and which has a relationship with the CIA and the FBI.