Seville Guardia Civil officer’s sentence cut to three years

A Guardia Civil officer in Seville will serve three years in prison after Andalusia’s high court upheld his passive bribery conviction for supplying vehicle-record information to his former brother-in-law in return for payment. The court overturned a separate conviction for disclosing confidential data.

The Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Andalucía (TSJA) issued its ruling on 28 October, partly granting the officer’s appeal against a sentence imposed by the Audiencia Provincial de Sevilla. The lower court had imposed three years for bribery and a further year for the data offence.

Paid requests for vehicle records

The jury found that the former brother-in-law, who worked for a private investigation agency, sought information in 2023 about selected vehicles, including owners’ identities and addresses, insurance and MOT status. The officer agreed to provide it for a financial reward, and passed on information between 27 July and 21 September.

To obtain the records, the officer asked colleagues to make the database queries, preventing his own account from appearing as the requester. The jury said the protected, audited databases were intended for official duties.

Separate data conviction overturned

The TSJA upheld the officer’s three-year bribery term, €2,160 fine and nine-year disqualification from public employment or office. It cleared him of the separate data offence, which had carried one year in prison and another €2,160 fine.

The court said no specific risk or harm to data owners or other people had been alleged or proved. The defence had argued that the information was of limited significance and could be accessed through the DGT website.

The officer’s former brother-in-law retains his conviction for active bribery, with a three-year prison term and a €2,160 fine.

Source: Consejo General del Poder Judicial.