CCPR/C/112/D/2105/2011
the authors’ non-exhaustion of domestic remedies, since their application for amparo was
declared inadmissible by the Constitutional Court on the grounds that it was irremediably
flawed because they had failed to demonstrate its special constitutional relevance. The State
party also argues that the authors did not allege a violation of the right to a second hearing
either in their cassation appeal or in their application for amparo. The Committee recalls its
settled jurisprudence, according to which it is necessary to exhaust only those remedies that
have a reasonable prospect of success. The authors’ application for amparo did not have a
reasonable prospect of success in respect of a possible violation of article 14, paragraph 5,
given the Constitutional Court’s case law. 6 In addition, the Committee observes that the
authors challenged the Murcia Provincial Court judgement through an appeal in cassation,
which was ultimately dismissed by the Supreme Court on 16 October 2009, and that they
subsequently submitted an application for amparo against this judgement, which was found
inadmissible by the Constitutional Court on 24 February 2010. The Committee therefore
finds that there is no impediment under article 5, paragraph 2 (b), of the Optional Protocol
to consideration of the present communication.
8.4
The Committee notes the authors’ allegations that they were denied the right to have
their conviction and sentence reviewed by a higher tribunal, since they had access only to
the remedy of cassation before the Supreme Court, which in practice implied a denial of the
right to appeal against the conviction handed down by Murcia Provincial Court. The
Committee further notes the State party’s arguments that the remedy of cassation allows the
Supreme Court to review the evidence considered by the lower court extensively, since it is
possible to review judgements with regard to the facts, the evidence and points of law.
8.5
The Committee observes that, in its judgement of 16 October 2009, the Supreme
Court examined all the grounds for cassation put forward by the authors, including respect
for the principle of ne bis in idem, the refusal to admit documentary evidence submitted by
the authors and the classification of the penalty imposed. The Supreme Court did not
restrict its examination to the formal aspects of the Murcia Provincial Court judgement and
found that there was sufficient evidence to uphold the assessment of the facts made by the
court of first instance, that the authors had failed to provide evidence showing that the
interpretation of the facts by the court of first instance was erroneous, and that nevertheless
there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate that there were aggravating circumstances
under article 250, paragraph 1, subparagraph 7, of the Criminal Code. The Court therefore
upheld the sentence imposed by Murcia Provincial Court with the exception of the
aggravating circumstances. Thus, the Committee considers that the allegations under article
14, paragraph 5, of the Covenant have been insufficiently substantiated for the purposes of
admissibility and it concludes that they are inadmissible under article 2 of the Optional
Protocol.
8.6
The Committee takes note of the allegations by Mr. S.S.F. and Mr. E.J.S.E. that
Murcia Provincial Court tried them twice for fraud in connection with their involvement in
the company’s commercial activities and that they had initially been acquitted of the
offence in the final judgements of 4 February and 9 September 2004. Nevertheless, the
Committee observes that, in those judgements, the Provincial Court examined the criminal
liability of Mr. S.S.F. and Mr. E.J.S.E. only in connection with their involvement in the
commercial exchanges between the company and the complainants, Hermanga S.A. and
Fricuenca S.A., respectively. However, the criminal proceedings that led to the Murcia
Provincial Court conviction of 30 June 2008 resulted from complaints brought by the
companies Cárnicas Poveda S.A. and Ganadera del Segura S.L. and established the authors’
criminal liability for the continuing offence of fraud in connection with their involvement in
the company’s commercial activities in general and in relation to various natural and legal
6
8
See communication No. 1892/2009, J.J.U.B. v. Spain, Views adopted on 29 October 2012.
GE.14-20560