'Now it's over' says Spain's Hermoso after Rubiales found guilty
A judge at Spain's High Court on Thursday found Rubiales guilty of sexual assault over the kiss and fined him 10,800 euros ($11,300), but spared him a prison sentence.
"After everything, this will create an important precedent in a social environment where there is still much to be done," said the player in a post on social media platform Instagram.
"I have my heart full with each of the people who have been, are, and will continue with me in this fight.
"And now, yes, it's over."
The phrase "it's over" was used by Hermoso and her team-mates in their fight for justice after the incident, which occurred after Spain won the women's World Cup in September 2023.
Rubiales initially refused to resign from his position as federation chief but eventually departed under immense global pressure.
On Friday, the footballer's lawyer, Angel Chavarria, told AFP that his intention was to appeal the sentence, with prosecutors having sought a prison term of two-and-a-half years for Rubiales.
the kiss was consensual.
The 47-year-old also said after the verdict that he will appeal.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Local Spain
4 days ago
- Local Spain
IN PICTURES: Tens of thousands join anti-government protest in Madrid
Protesters, many waving red and yellow Spanish flags, massed in the Plaza de Espana, a large square in the centre of the Spanish capital, and chanted "Pedro Sanchez, resign!". "The expiry date on this government passed a long time ago. It's getting tiring," Blanca Requejo, a 46-year-old store manager who wore a Spanish flag draped over her back, told AFP at the demonstration. The Popular Party (PP) called the rally after leaked audio recordings allegedly documented a member of the Socialist party, Leire Diez, waging a smear campaign against a police unit that investigated graft allegations against Sanchez's wife, brother and his former right-hand man. Diez has denied the allegations, telling reporters on Wednesday that she was conducting research for a book and was not working on behalf of the party or Sanchez. She also resigned from Sanchez's Socialist party. PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo has accused the government of "mafia practices" over the affair, and said Sanchez is "at the centre" of multiple corruption scandals. "This government has stained everything -- politics, state institutions, the separation of powers," he told the rally, going on to urge Sanchez to call early elections. The PP estimated that more than 100,000 people attended the rally, held under the slogan "Mafia or Democracy." The central government's representative in Madrid put the turnout between 45,000 and 50,000. 'Go away' The government's spokeswoman, Pilar Alegria, mocked the turnout, writing on X that veteran Spanish rock duo Estopa drew a larger crowd to their recent concert at Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano stadium than "the apocalyptic Feijoo at the Plaza de Espana." Demonstrators hold a sign reading '(Spain's Prime Minister) Pedro Sanchez, give us back the democracy'. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP) Sanchez has dismissed the probes against members of his inner circle as part of a "smear campaign" carried out by the right wing to undermine his government. He came to power in June 2018 after ousting his PP predecessor, Mariano Rajoy, in a no-confidence vote over a corruption scandal involving the conservative party. PP's President Alberto Nunez Feijoo (L) talks with Spain's former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar during the demonstration. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP) Rafael Redondo, a 73-year-old real estate agent, said the corruption cases that have affected the PP were "completely different". "The corruption that may have existed in the PP involved individuals acting on their own. But the Socialist Party is a criminal organisation which has committed crimes from A to Z," he told AFP at the rally. Maria del Mar Tome, a 59-year-old businesswoman, said she had turned up because "we want Pedro Sanchez to go away once and for all, because this man is corrupt, he's a liar." Poll lead This is the sixth protest which the PP has organised against the government since Feijoo took the helm of the party in April 2022 The demonstration comes as the PP is gearing up for an extraordinary party congress set for July. Demonstrators hold Spain's flags during the demonstration. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP) Originally set for 2026, Feijoo moved the event forward, citing the need for the party to "be prepared" in case of early national elections in what was seen as an effort to consolidate his power. Rajoy and another former PP prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar, attended Sunday's rally, along with several heads of regional governments. Recent polls show the PP holding only a slim lead over the Socialists. although Sanchez remains the most highly rated party leader among voters. One in four voters, 24.6 percent, said Sanchez is their favourite party leader to lead the country, ahead of the leader of far-right party Vox, Santiago Abascal, who was picked by 17.1 percent, according to a poll published Monday in daily newspaper El Pais. Feijoo was the third most popular option, with 16.6 percent. The next general election is expected in 2027.
Local Spain
28-05-2025
- Local Spain
Costa del Crime: Why Spain is home to many foreign criminals and fugitives
From drug traffickers to sex offenders and cybercriminals, fugitives from around the globe flock to Spain's coastal havens. That gamble rarely pays off: police stress that their chances of evading justice are slim. "We're arresting new people every day," said Fernando González, the head of an elite Spanish police unit set up in 2004 to hunt down criminals on the run. "Spain remains a very attractive place for traffickers," he added. Last year, his unit arrested 460 fugitives -- mostly foreigners -- across Spain, up from 390 in 2023. The pace has not slowed this year. Recent high-profile arrests underscore the European country's ongoing appeal to fugitives. In October 2024, police in Barcelona arrested Serbian national Nikola Vusovic, a suspected leader of a major crime gang from Montenegro, the Kavac clan. At the start of this year, officers arrested the leader of a brutal Peruvian mafia group, Omar Luis Castaneda, near the Mediterranean city of Alicante over his suspected involvement in 16 murders in the Latin American country. And in February, police in southern Spain arrested one of the gunmen who in 2024 ambushed a prison van in France to free a drug lord, Mohamed Amra, killing two prison guards. The fugitive was living in a luxury villa at the time. "We deal with a wide range of profiles," from major criminals to petty offenders, as well as a wide range of nationalities, González said as he scanned the latest list of arrests, which included Moroccans, French nationals and a growing number of Latin Americans. 'Blend in' Spain's role as a haven for those trying to evade justice is "historic", a French investigator told AFP on condition of anonymity. "It's not just a hideout for fugitives... it's also home to career criminals who operate between Morocco, Spain and France." Spain is home to a large number of foreigners and is the world's second-most-visited country, having welcomed a record 94 million foreign tourists last year, which makes it easier for fugitives to go unnoticed. "It's a place with a high quality of life. It's easy to rent quiet villas with swimming pools. People blend in," the French investigator said. Criminals enjoy the glitz and glamour of cities like Marbella, finding it easy to blend in. (Photo by JORGE GUERRERO / AFP) Criminal defence lawyer and former extradition judge Carlos Bautista said Spain's location "at the crossroads" of Europe, the Americas and Africa makes it a natural hiding spot for runaway criminals. González said fugitives can often easily find "contacts who can help" them among the large community of foreigners who live in Spain. He cited as an example the case of a German woman who was arrested in the Balearic Islands where she had lived for years without speaking Spanish. 'Cat-and-mouse game' Most fugitives are found along Spain's Mediterranean coast where foreign communities are concentrated. Málaga and Marbella on the Costa del Sol, which has long been a popular destination for British residents and tourists, are top picks for criminals on the run, said Bautista. Laying low on the coast does not guarantee safety -- these are regions with some of the highest arrest rates. "It's a cat-and-mouse game. But we usually find them. It just takes patience," said González. Police credit wiretaps, monitoring social media and, above all, close international cooperation for their success. Through ENFAST, a network of police officers from across Europe who work together to locate internationally wanted criminals, Spain has become a leader in cross-border arrests. "Spain is extremely active in extraditions. Sooner or later, fugitives get caught," said Bautista. The walls of González's elite police unit are lined with mugshots and mementos from years of operations. "There may be fugitives living quietly among us. But that doesn't mean they will escape forever," he said.
Local Spain
21-05-2025
- Local Spain
Pro-Russia ex-Ukraine MP shot dead in Spain
War in Ukraine A US-sanctioned ex-Ukrainian MP and senior aide to the country's former pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych was shot dead near Madrid on Wednesday, a Spanish police source told AFP. Police rushed to the upmarket town of Pozuelo de Alarcón where "several people" shot a male "in the back and head" as he "prepared to climb into a vehicle", the source said, confirming the victim was Andriy Portnov. The shooters "later fled from the scene towards a wooded area", the source added, saying the incident had occurred outside an American private school. Portnov was a lawmaker in the 2000s and became deputy head of the presidential administration under Yanukovych, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who fled to Russia in 2014 after cracking down on pro-EU protests in Ukraine. Portnov quit Ukraine after Yanukovych's fall, living in Russia and Austria before returning to his home country after the election of current President Volodymyr Zelensky. The United States imposed sanctions on him in 2021 for alleged corruption, saying he had used his influence in the judiciary and law enforcement to buy access in Ukrainian courts and undermine reform efforts. According to media reports, he used his connections within the spheres of power to escape Ukraine again in 2022, despite a ban on men liable for military service leaving the country during the Russian invasion.
