Second Guardia Civil Agent Arrested in 2022 Joan Coromina Murder Case in Lleida

Mossos d'Esquadra and Guardia Civil officers arrested a second Guardia Civil agent in Lleida on Wednesday in connection with the fatal shooting of Joan Coromina, a 61-year-old businessman and tobacco smuggler linked to Andorra, in the Baronia de Rialb area of Noguera in late January 2022.

The suspect, son of a retired Guardia Civil reserve commander already under investigation as the alleged instigator, appeared before the Solsona court on Thursday. Prosecutors requested pretrial detention, but the judge released him on homicide charges. The agent denies any involvement. Evidence includes a potential financial motive and location matches with the victim.

Investigators link the killing to Coromina's refusal to pay the retired commander €30,000 for details on a Portuguese tobacco smuggling investigation. The victim, from Oliana in Alt Urgell, was struck in the chest by a shot fired from over 100 metres away in a wooded area of Gualter, a hamlet in Baronia de Rialb.

This marks the fourth arrest in the case. In September, authorities detained the retired commander, a Lleida resident, and a Cervera resident. The Solsona judge initially imposed pretrial custody on all three, but the Lleida Audiència court freed them in November.

The probe, under secrecy of summary, continues to determine the suspects' levels of involvement.