Malaga’s Judicial System on the Brink of Collapse
The judicial system in Malaga province is teetering on the edge of a crisis due to the dilapidated state of some court buildings. The situation is particularly dire in Marbella, where the courts are still operating from an obsolete five-storey building with outdated facilities.
Marbella Court’s Lift Crisis
In the Marbella court building, only one of the two lifts is functional, and it is prone to frequent breakdowns. The severity of the situation was highlighted recently when a National Police officer and a detainee were trapped inside the malfunctioning lift. With the current high temperatures, the officer was forced to break a window in the lift to let in some air. Eventually, both the officer and the detainee managed to escape, but not before the fire brigade had to be alerted.
Recurring Lift Problems
This is not an isolated incident. A few months prior, emergency services had to rescue two Local Police officers and another detainee who were stuck in the same lift. The Union of Justice Administration Workers (STAJ) has pointed out that this lift serves a five-storey building housing five courts and the prosecutor’s office. It is also used by the public, the police, and the detainees they escort, creating an untenable situation.
Second Lift Out of Order
The situation is further exacerbated by the fact that the second lift in the building has been out of order for some time. The only operational lift continues to break down, with the STAJ reporting 16 breakdowns from August of the previous year to the present day. A worker at the Marbella courts lamented, “They treat us like animals.”
Tender for Lift Renovation Shelved
The union has expressed its frustration that the tender to renovate the lifts was based on 2021 prices. As a result, no company has shown interest in undertaking the work due to its lack of profitability, leading to the shelving of the tender.
