Madrid Court Upholds Probe into Ex-Officials over Elderly Woman's Covid Death

Madrid's Provincial Court has upheld the Getafe investigating court's order to broaden its inquiry into Carlos Mur, former director general of socio-health coordination for the Madrid region and ex-head of mental health services at Andorra's Meritxell Hospital, as well as Francisco Javier Martínez Peromingo. The unappealable ruling fully rejects their appeal and permits the probe into alleged administrative prevarication to proceed.

The investigation originates from a PSOE complaint during preliminary proceedings into the death of Petra G. A., an elderly resident at the Los Ángeles care home in Getafe during Spain's first Covid-19 wave in early 2020. The court's auto, as reported by Europa Press, endorses the partial acceptance of that complaint. It aims to establish whether Mur and Martínez Peromingo issued directives to Getafe Hospital or the care home that affected the victim's treatment and contributed to her death.

Judges dismissed defence claims that the expansion infringes on the suspects' right to defence or lacks a clear focus. They noted that assertions of no criminal offence are premature, as the inquiry must resolve such issues. The court also rejected arguments that broadening the case creates a forward-looking investigation or presumes guilt.

Mur, who now practises professionally in Andorra and previously led mental health for the Servei Andorrà d’Atenció Sanitària (SAAS), filed the initial appeal, to which Martínez Peromingo later adhered. This firm resolution from the Provincial Court's chamber ensures the investigation continues, despite the challenges raised amid the pandemic's early pressures on Madrid's health system.