SCRIPT

Murcia – Devilish Details

Topshot Murcia

00:00:08 Voice over:

Murcia, in southeastern Spain on the Costa Calida, is not far from the tourist havens of Alicante and Benidorm. The small town has cast a shadow over the region in recent weeks. The investigation into a grisly double murder has raised questions over the relationship between the spanish press and police. Until recently this sports arena was home to the pride of the town: CAV Murcia.  This is the volleyball club where murder victim Ingrid Visser played for two years; and the same club founded by local celebrity Evedasto Lifante.

00:00:44 Fernando Jimenez, professor of corruption:

Previously he was completely unknown, and he only became well known thanks to volleyball. He started the volleyball CAV Murcia in 2005, and in an instant the club was in the limelight of spanish women's volleyball.

00:01:04 Voice over:

Lifante made his fortune as the owner of a Marble mine, before he pumped millions into a small, provincial sports club – as did many big construction bosses and property magnates before the banking crisis. apparantly being the sugar daddy of a sports club has its advantage.

00:01:22 Fernando Jimenez, professor corruption:

His fame opened doors to politics for him. He made contact with political leaders ... Such as mayors ...and presidents of the autonomous regions. With sports as an excuse they made contact to do business with each other...

00:01:44 Voice over:

...And doing business in Murcia means cronyism and corruption. For them, it's a case of I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine. In the past, Business conflicts have usually been settled amicably. But the Eurozone crisis has changed everything.

00:02:03 Fernando Jimenez, professor corruption:
The Mafia never had to use violence. They have achieved their goals without violence. They rarely used any violence ... And therefore such a case attracts a lot of attention.

00:02:19 Voice over:

On the 13th of May, Ingrid Visser and her partner Louis Severein dissappeared. After several days with no contact, their families became concerned.

00:02:29 OST Family member:

They should have come back on Wednesday which never happened.

00:02:32 Voice over:

The searches began, continuing for two weeks. They ended abruptly, after a raid on a house revealed the bodies of the two missing persons.

00:02:40 OST POLICE PRESS CONFERENCE:

The forensic examiners have visited the house. They have confirmed that a violent crime has been committed.

00:02:50 Voice over:

It was just the next morning when local newspaper La Verdad was able to publish an extremely detailed report about the find. So just where did this information come from?

00:02:59 Ricardo Fernández, crime reporter:

That' s the million euro question. The one million euro question that I will never answer.

00:03:08 Voice over:

Ricardo Fernandez has been the crime reporter at La Verdad for 25 years. It's the largest newspaper in the region, and he's built up close contacts with the police over the years. He can always consult very good sources.

00:03:24 Ricardo Fernández, crime reporter:

If the police does not want to negotiate with me ... And they don’t say: Listen, Ricardo, you can publish this and this, but this and this should not be published.

If they want to keep everything as a secret ... I wouldn't know what I can or cannot publish.

If I published something wrong, I could put someone in danger.

00:03:49 Voice over:

The media in the victim's home nation of the Netherlands has been scandalised by the leaks, but the spanish press and police have a notoriously close relationship. Facts from ongoing investigations almost never remain confidential.

00:04:03 Leonarda Jimenez, professor of communication

When something like this happens journalists have the imperative. He will consult with contacts and leaks will happen. This is inherent to journalism and the news production in Spain.

00:04:18 Fernando Jimenez, professor corruption:

Leaks are very common, especially in business news... Where the public is very interested.

That makes sense when you see how intense the pressure from the media is. The people who lead the investigations Succumb to the pressure and still give information freely.

00:04:41 Voice over:

This is how Ricardo sources information for his stories. In one week he published daily revelations about the case - sometimes with chilling details reprinted in the dutch press. Leading to widespread criticism.

00:04:53 Ricardo Fernández, crime reporter:

This is our duty to society as journalists. There are details announced ...But I think no unnecessary macabre details. No. The information available to us goes much further than what has been published.

00:05:15 Voice over:

The main suspect in the double murder case is the former manager of the volleyball club. According to reports, he may have conspired to have the couple killed by two hired Romanian assassins.

00:05:26 José María Caballero, lawyer prime suspect:

He worries about the future and about the course of this lawsuit.

00:05:34 Voice over:

A muder trial such like this one would typically be conducted in front of a jury in Spain. But the lawyer of the main suspect claims that his client has already been convicted in the court of public opinion, and that a fair trial is now impossible.

00:05:46 José María Caballero, lawyer prime suspect:

The judges remain impartial and objective ... But the people on the street who read the news, if they were chosen as jurors, would all have an opinion on the matter, and that is not good for the lawsuit.

00:06:09 Ricardo Fernández, crime reporter:

I understand that the court has to protect its interests. It is everyone's right. We need to know what happened and that has to lead to a conviction. And I have to protect my interests. And my interests are to inform the society. I cannot leave people in the dark.

00:06:29 Voice over:

Ricardo Fernandez claims he appreciates that it's upsetting that family members must learn graphic details from the press, but insists he doesn’t feel responsible.

18:36:47:18 18:36:50:09 02:16

00:06:40 Ricardo Fernández, crime reporter:

It is not my responsibility. It's the police who haven't informed them properly. It is the fault of the police rather than me.

00:06:54 Conclusion (voice over):

Despite the outcry in the victim's homeland, here in Spain very few are surprised by the level of detail revealed in the press.

La Verdad, please.

00:07:05 Reporter:

Are people in Spain used to these kinds of reports about crime?

00:07:12 Leonarda Jimenez, professor of communication:

Yes. The public is accustomed to this type of leakage. That is seen as something quite ordinary in the Spanish news.

18:37:38:18 18:37:44:11 05:18

00:07:28 Fernando Jimenez, professor corruption:
The people are extremely effected by it. And that is why they do want to know all about.

You don’t want to know the only important facts that happened.

The reasons that people have driven to these things. They just want to know the details.

And that's a bit morbid.

00:07:50 Voice over:

The court has now decided to declare the judicial investigation as a secret; no more information will come out of the case - at least officially.

00:08:00 Ricardo Fernández, crime reporter:
This is my profession, my work. The purpose of my work.

00:08:06 REPORTER:

The truth?

00:08:07 Ricardo Fernández, crime reporter:

Yes, the truth. Everything I publish, must be true. Information that I can justify.