The incident starring the Popular Party deputy Ana Vázquez in the Congress of Deputies has reached the courts. A judge in Madrid has opened preliminary proceedings following a complaint for an alleged crime of injury related to the can of pepper spray that the parliamentarian showed during a plenary session on September 23. Judge Pedro Merchante has asked the complainants to provide the corresponding medical reports before deciding the next steps of the investigation.
The judicial action comes after the disciplinary procedure initiated by the Lower House was shelved after the dissolution of the Cortes due to the call for general elections for November 29. Although the parliamentary sanction did not become effective, the Permanent Deputation Board described what happened as a serious infraction of the Congress Regulations.
Ana Vázquez's pepper spray caused the evacuation of several Congress offices
The episode took place during the government control session on September 23. While questioning the Minister of Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, about the security situation in Ceuta, Vázquez showed a can of pepper spray and stated that women and children in the autonomous city carried this type of spray to protect themselves. The President of Congress, Francina Armengol, asked her to leave the chamber considering that she had displayed a weapon inside the House.
The controversy worsened after a PP advisor admitted to having manipulated the can in the Congress bathrooms at the deputy's indication, with the intention of checking if there was any product left inside. As he explained to the EFE Agency, when he pressed the device, pepper spray came out. The incident forced the sealing of several offices in one of the extension buildings of the Chamber, including bathrooms and areas near the dining room.
The Congress medical services attended to twelve affected people, with symptoms such as eye and nasal irritation. Among them was a member of a Mauritanian delegation who suffered vomiting and respiratory problems. In addition, food had to be removed from the affected dining room. After what happened, Vázquez denied having emptied the spray in the bathroom, while the advisor admitted to having manipulated it.
The parliamentary route was shelved, but the judicial investigation continues
After the incident, the Congress Bureau initiated disciplinary proceedings against Vázquez. The PSOE and Sumar, which held a majority in the Chamber's governing body, had agreed to propose a one-week suspension from employment and salary. However, the measure had to be put to a vote in the plenary session, and the procedure lapsed with the early dissolution of the Cortes.
The Bureau of the Permanent Deputation did maintain a reprimand for the parliamentarian and described what happened as an event of "undeniable seriousness". In its written statement, it recalled that the Regulations prohibit introducing weapons into the parliamentary precinct and noted that the incident affected dozens of people, caused a medical leave, and forced the evacuation of offices in three buildings. It also questioned the deputy's behavior and her attempt to shift responsibility to a subordinate.
Now, the judicial investigation is in an initial phase. The judge has requested the three complainants to present their injury reports to assess whether to proceed with the inquiries and, if applicable, request a forensic evaluation. The opening of preliminary proceedings does not imply that Vázquez has been convicted or that there is a definitive decision on her criminal responsibility. Justice must determine whether the reported facts may constitute a crime.
