Andorra Faces Liability for Compensation in 10 Gender Violence Cases

The Andorran government may become subsidiarily liable for compensation payments to victims of gender violence in cases where convicted perpetrators fail to pay, following a legislative reform that took effect with Law 17/2025 of 9 October.

Since the law's implementation, the Tribunal de Corts has issued seven condemnatory sentences, five of which established fixed compensation for damages and injuries. The Batllia has issued 15 penal orders in expedited proceedings where offenders admitted guilt, with five also including compensation awards. This totals 22 condemnatory resolutions, ten of them with victim indemnities—five from court sentences and five from penal orders.

Victims can seek direct payment from the executive if offenders default, provided legal conditions are met, after which the government would pursue reimbursement. Justice and Interior Minister Ester Molné shared these details in a written parliamentary response to Susanna Vela, president of the Social Democratic group, who had requested information on resolutions under the reform, compensation cases, and reasons for cases without awards.

The mechanism does not trigger automatic payouts; liability depends on case-specific requirements. Molné's response did not disclose compensation amounts, whether any offenders have defaulted, or if the government has assumed payments to date.

In the two court sentences without civil liability, victims filed no claims. Among the ten penal orders without compensation, victims explicitly waived indemnity, though reasons for those waivers were unspecified.