Sentenced to pay €1,400 for being labeled as corrupt to the mayor of Sencelles with a banner

PalmThe Criminal Court 3 of Palma has convicted a man for a crime of insult to pay a fine of 1,440 euros, as well as compensation of 1,000, for hanging a banner that called the mayor of Sencelles, Joan Carles Verd, corrupt during the 2023 election campaign.

The events date back to May 2023, when the accused "related to the settlement located on the Sineu road" installed a large banner on a property he owned, visible from the street, with the message "corrupt mayor," the Sencelles City Council recalled in a statement. The sentence declares it proven that the accused placed a banner on a fence he owned that was visible from the road on which it could be read that the injured party was a corrupt politician, "an insulting expression that clearly and directly affects his fame and reputation."

According to the sentence, the banner contained "manifestly insulting and unnecessary expressions that went beyond mere information or opinion" and which imply imputing acts constituting a crime to a public official. Furthermore, it was of public interest "given the upcoming elections in which Verd was running as a candidate to renew his mandate, of which the accused had perfect knowledge despite not voting in them," and in fact it was published in a newspaper.

The judge considers the publicity of the insult to be proven because the banner was placed in such a way that it could be seen from the public road and was large and sufficient enough to be seen from a distance. The seriousness of the events is determined because the banner was visible from the road and in a period close to the elections, with phrases that directly affected the fame and consideration of the injured party in relation to his suitability to exercise public office correctly and when he had presented himself as a candidate for the elections.

The conviction for insult is to pay a fine of eight months at 6 euros per day, compensation for damages of 1,000 euros, and the publication of the ruling in the media. The sentence is not final and can be appealed within ten days. The Sencelles City Council has valued the judicial resolution in a statement as "a confirmation that insults and disqualifications directed at public officials cannot go unpunished." The mayor has announced that, when it is final, he will donate the amount of the compensation to the Social Services of Sencelles.