Rointek Guernica’s lawyer slams judge for not knowing about complaint against coach

Juan Carlos Soto del Castillolawyer of Lointech Guernicahe assured. Club was not aware of allegations of continued sexual abuse of minors against Mario Lopez This is due to a “mistake” by the judge or the public prosecutor’s office; That’s why he never retired from coaching..

Soto del Castillo said in an interview with EFETV. It was Lopez himself who told the club that he had reported it. “Years ago, harassment issues were given little attention and allowed to persist.”

he declared that The club asked the defendant to submit a criminal certificate. However, like all minor coaches; He was “clean” because it hadn’t been processed yet.

Until El Pais announced the existence of the indictment on Sunday, “no one knew about it, not the club, not the feminist movement, not the townspeople.” A woman who had been sexually abused since she was 13 years old. And it lasted for three years on the side of Lopez, who was his inner circle. Coaches of Allende Salazar School and Lointech Guernicahe pointed out.

In the preseason, Lointech Guernica has demoted Mario Lopez to “internal management work in the sports field” And after the Spanish Basketball Federation informed the club of the opening of an investigation file into possible violations of the FEB’s own Protocol of Action against Sexual Violence. Guernica’s board of directors has decided to dismiss him “from all duties at the club.”

When the news broke, “we all reacted, we were all outraged,” the lawyer said, noting that a person could not be put out of a job “because of a rumor.”

“I miss that. Those who were aware of the complaint – the courts and the prosecutor’s office – would have acted “quickly”. He added that he had alerted the club to the allegations against Lopez.

However, given that this man was in contact with minors and that “no precautions were taken” to prevent possible sexual offenses, “no one told us anything. “This has been kept completely secret,” he complained.

Therefore, in the lawyers’ opinion, it is “unacceptable” that a crime of “this magnitude” was “concealed” from Guernica. He added, “We are aware that there were deficiencies in information management.”

The club concluded that it will launch an internal investigation into the matter.