"Lei era in preda al panico": due testimoni confermano al giudice l'assedio sessuale dell'exCEO della produttrice di Canal Sur alla giornalista

Two witnesses confirmed before a judge this Tuesday that the former CEO of the production company behind Canal Sur, Gustavo Fuentes, sexually harassed the journalist who has accused him of sexual assault, continued sexual harassment, and workplace bullying. The testimony came after the woman described how she had developed a deep fear of Fuentes, with one witness stating she was "truly afraid" of him. Another noted how the journalist had once been a powerful, friendly, and fun person, but under the pressure of Fuentes's behavior, she had become increasingly withdrawn and anxious. The two witnesses were a former executive of the company, who served as second-in-command to Fuentes during his tenure as CEO of Andalucía Digital Multimedia (ADM), and a friend whom the journalist confided in immediately after the alleged incidents occurred. According to sources present at the hearing, both individuals confirmed their knowledge of the sexual violence claims because the victim had shared her experiences with them shortly after they happened. They also linked the current physical and psychological deterioration of the journalist to the state of fear and anxiety she endured while working at ADM. Following the testimonies, Fuentes himself appeared before the court four hours earlier than scheduled, arriving at the Violence Against Women Court number five in Seville at around 8:15 AM instead of the appointed time of 12:15 PM. His lawyer had requested that the judge schedule the testimonies and Fuentes’s appearance on different days to prevent any potential cross-contamination of information, but the judge rejected the request. By the time the witnesses arrived separately to testify, Fuentes was already waiting in the adjacent room, having arrived early enough to avoid encountering them directly. After answering questions from the judge, prosecutors, and his own attorney, Fuentes left the courthouse shortly before 2:00 PM. He departed by car directly from the garage, avoiding the media and representatives from the Association of Journalists of Seville, the Spanish Press Workers Union (SPA), and the inter-company committee of Canal Sur, who gathered outside the courthouse to show their unwavering support for the victim and encourage others to come forward with similar allegations of sexual and workplace harassment. The judicial interrogation focused strictly on the specific acts being investigated. The high level of media attention surrounding this court appearance stems from the fact that the accused producer was not an ordinary executive, nor was the company he led. ADM is a semi-public entity, majority-owned by the Andalusian regional government (48%) and associated with the Public Andalusian Television and Radio (RTVA). It serves as the primary content provider for Canal Sur, whose flagship program, Andalucía Directo, has been on air for 26 years. According to sources present in the courtroom, the judge, Francisco José de Córdoba, repeatedly used the term "improper" during the proceedings, attempting to limit the scope of questioning to the specific facts under investigation. The judge interrupted both the prosecution’s questions and the witnesses' responses whenever he felt they strayed beyond the immediate subject of the case, particularly into broader workplace context or the power dynamics involving the accused. It is worth noting that the judge excluded the claim of workplace harassment from the legal process, considering it outside the jurisdiction of a Gender Violence Court. This decision highlights the limitations of such courts in addressing all forms of abuse, especially when multiple types of misconduct are involved. The journalist’s complaint includes three alleged instances of sexual assault, supported by seven sworn testimonies and accompanied by 175 pages of WhatsApp messages of a sexual nature sent from Fuentes’s phone to the victim between 201...