Andorra Real-Estate Director Denies Sexual Harassment, Blames Poor Spanish Translation

A man on trial for a minor offence of sexual harassment against a cleaning employee told the High Court of Andorra (Tribunal de Corts) that his remarks arose from a poor translation into Spanish, denying any sexual intent.

The accused, a 53-year-old real-estate company director at the time of the events, said he rarely speaks Spanish and renders his thoughts directly from Catalan, producing errors. He told the court that he had described the woman as “a very pretty girl” because she had carried out every task asked of her, but that the translation did not convey what he meant. He insisted the question about how she saw him “as a man” was simply an attempt to learn how she valued him as a person, though he acknowledged the words had been inappropriate.

The prosecution is seeking four months of conditional arrest and four years without contact with the complainant, who did not attend the hearing. The defence is calling for acquittal.

The alleged incidents date to late February 2021 in Escaldes-Engordany. The woman, an Argentine seasonal worker in her twenties or thirties, said in her complaint that her boss made comments twice, including calling her very pretty. She also alleged that at a tourist flat, in the bathroom, he touched her hip and lower back and had her crouch on the floor in front of him to clean a stain, and that she was backed into the shower area. She said she refused and the two returned to the office by van. The accused denied the touching.

The defence argued that the office where the first exchange took place has its door permanently open and that the accused has been married to his wife, a colleague, for 35 years. It also contended that the complainant's failure to testify left insufficient evidence.

The woman never returned to the company and left the country in the following weeks. Before leaving, she told other subordinates about what had happened and went to the equality service for advice. She submitted a USB drive containing an audio recording of the conversation.

The prosecutor argued that the touching had sufficient sexual connotation and, combined with the remarks, created a hostile and humiliating environment for the woman. The prosecution also cited the physical and age difference and the man's professional authority as aggravating factors.