Spanish court sets doctor free in decades-old 'stolen babies' scandal

A Spanish court has ruled that a doctor stole a newborn nearly five decades ago one of many abducted during Spain's 20th-century dictatorship. But the cleared him because the statute of limitations had expired

Ms Madrigal, now 49, said: "I'm happy because the judges are acknowledging that there was theft, that I was taken away from my mother, but I didn't think they would stop short of convicting him".

Eduardo Vela will not be convicted despite the facts judges declared the case had "proved beyond a doubt" that Vela was guilty.

The guiding principle was that the child would be better off raised by an affluent, conservative and devout Roman Catholic family.

However, Vela, the director of a Madrid clinic considered to be at the epicenter of the scandal, was cleared of any charges because Madrigal did not make her complain until 2012 - more than 10 years after she had become of legal age and well past the statute of limitations on the charge of abduction.

During the investigation, the gynecologist admitted that "he signed without reading" the medical record indicating that he attended the delivery; however, he denied his testimony before the court and said the signature was not for him.

These included falsifying documents, illegal adoption, unlawful detention and certifying a non-existent birth.

But this was overruled by the court.

When the case first reached the court, it ruled that a decision would be taken as to whether the timeline fell outside the statute of limitations as part of the verdict.

China orders more lending to entrepreneurs amid trade spat
The line has hit China's securities exchange and money, and there are conditional signs it is influencing China's economy. But the central bank maintained that its monetary policy is still prudent and neutral - not accommodative.

Ignore even more phone calls with Google's 'call screen' feature
The new Pixel phones are also expected to follow the trend of expanding the phone screen almost to the edges of the device. When it comes to performance and speed, the Pixel 3 XL and regular 3 are certain to be some of the best in the business.

Huawei teases Mate 20X with gaming features
We also want to believe that it will have a cooling system and a large battery hence the "cooler" and "longer gaming" hints. It appears that this phone will come close to the flawless bezel free screen, only with a small notch for the camera.

She told AFP many victims found out they had been robbed from their biological mothers decades after they turned 18. Most lawsuits have been rejected in the past by courts for coming after the statute of limitations expired.

The 85-year-old former doctor was the first person to face trial over the so-called "stolen babies" scandal that took place during and after Spain's fascist dictatorship of General Franco.

The baby-stealing practice began after Franco came to power following the 1936-39 civil war.

Even after Spain democratized following Franco's death in 1975, the practice continued as an illegal trafficking network until at least 1987.

During the trial, Vela said he could not remember details about the operation of the clinic, which he ran for 20 years up to 1982.

One of the witnesses of the trial, a French journalist, Emilie Helmbacher, which was completed in 2013 a report for the channel France 2 on the subject, had said that Dr. Vela, filmed in a hidden camera, he had hinted that he had entrusted the new-born Inès Perez and stated that it "had not paid".

An amnesty law, aimed at smoothing the transition to democracy, contributed to the cover-up, as courts and politicians refused to investigate baby-trafficking.

Vela's lawyer Rafael Casas criticised the hidden camera recording and said his client had "nothing to do" with what had been alleged.

Related News:

10 October 2018

FT journalist given seven days to leave Hong Kong
China has defended its decision to deny a new work visa for Mallet, who is vice president of the Foreign Correspondent's Club. The Foreign Correspondent's Club is an institution dating back more than 75 years ago to when Hong Kong was a British colony.

10 October 2018

Trump silent as the United Nations warns of climate change catastrophe
The report says the world needs to reach zero net emissions of carbon dioxide by 2050 to prevent a further rise in temperature. The Arctic, for example, is likely to be several degrees warmer, increasing ice melt and sea level rise .

10 October 2018

Watch 2018 American Music Awards live stream online
Cardi B , who was tied with Drake for the most AMA nominations, won the first award of the night for favorite rap/hip-hop artist. Thomas Rhett attends the 2018 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on October 9, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.
10 October 2018

Japanese Passport Tops 2018 Visa-Free Travel Index
South Africa's passport has weakened drastically over the past decade, falling 17 places down the global ranking since 2008. The law firm says it updates the index in real-time, as and when visa-policy changes come into effect.

10 October 2018

International Monetary Fund predicts 7.3% growth rate for India in current fiscal year
It also slashed its outlook this year for 19 countries, including several eurozone member states and emerging markets. The fund upgraded its forecast for Japan slightly to 1.1 per cent growth this year, up 0.1 point from July.

10 October 2018

Prince William Teases Kate Middleton About Her Painting
It is due out in November and once again we are being told mental health will be a priority. He has since been joined by wife Meghan Markle at mental health charity events.
10 October 2018

Why Camilla Parker Bowles Won't Be Attending Princess Eugenie's Wedding
The Duke did not specify their ages in the post, but wrote: "Before they met... a young Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank ". Royals don't like to disappoint.

10 October 2018

Google drops out of Pentagon’s $10 billion cloud competition
Shortly after the protest over Maven, Google said it would not renew the contract or pursue similar military contracts. Google, in particular, believes it would be in the Pentagon's best interest to allow multiple clouds.

10 October 2018

Turkey to search consulate over missing Saudi journalist
Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said in Geneva that it would be "truly shocking" if reports of his death are confirmed. She accused Saudi Arabia of "state terrorism" and called on the global community to take action against the kingdom.
10 October 2018

Fernando Alonso: My Japanese Grand Prix penalty shows how bad F1 is
Speaking to the media after the race, Alonso could not resist the opportunity to take another swipe at the championship. "It wasn't a great race for us", said Vandoorne, who will lose his Formula 1 drive at the end of the season.

10 October 2018

Amazon Great Indian Festival 2018 Sale Offers and Deals Previewed
Additional offers include the reduced price of Mi Max 2, that will be available at a price of Rs 15,999, down from Rs 16,999. Though the Flipkart Big Billion Days sale is live, shoppers must note that the sale on smartphones begins from October 11.

10 October 2018

Red Sox Rout Yankees 16-1
Now we just moan indignantly about Hernandez and ponder what he might do in Game 4-when he will be the umpire behind home plate. The Astros will face either the New York Yankees or the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series.