Laurence Dollimore
A MARBELLA investigating judge has concluded that animal charity Triple A slaughtered animals ‘in a massive and unjustified manner’.
The judge has ordered that the case against the sanctuary continues, accusing the charity of killing animals ‘for economic benefit’ over a period of five years.
Five employees will continue to be investigated while another 14 will remain sacked, the judge ordered.
According to Diario Sur, in the order, issued on September 18, the judge says the defendants may have committed the crimes of animal abuse, documentary falsification, misappropriation of funds, fraud and more.
In his conclusions, and after three years of investigation, the judge believes that from 2011 to at least 2016, and under the direction of the then president Bettinna P., animals were slaughtered ‘in a massive and unjustified way’, with the sole purpose of reducing costs.
These killings, according to the judge, were made mainly by the then president, who gave the necessary orders and without a vet present.
Bettina herself, according to the document, administered the euthanasia products to the animals, despite not being trained to do so.
Doses of the product were inoculated below what was indicated in the guidelines, although just sufficient enough to cause death.
The order details how she allegedly failed to sedate the animals and did not administer the drugs intravenously.
This meant the animals were subjected to a slow and agonising death, according to the judge.
The document also notes that many healthy animals were put down.
Often they were young (mainly puppies), while some had been delivered to the centre only days or even hours beforehand.
The judge said there was nothing to justify their deaths, except lack of space in the centre.
The document also claims that Andrea D, the then vice president, would select which cats to sacrifice, and that there was a preference for black cats.
President Bettina would then carry out the killing herself or give orders for it to be done.
The number of animals killed is not mentioned in the document, although it is described as ‘a disproportionate amount of animals.’
According to the court, those under investigation ordered huge quantities of euthanasia products.
They were initially supplied by prescriptions from a vet, but president Bettina soon allegedly began ‘falsifying the signature of the vet association.’
The animals killed were recorded as having died by disease.
According to the document, many animals which arrived at the shelter or which were obtained ‘irregularly’ were sent for adoption to other countries, mainly Germany and Finland.
The judge said the defendants extracted microchips from animals and told owners looking for their pets that they did not have them.
There is no record of the income earned from these adoptions – which Andrea D was in charge of – in the accounts of Triple A.
The judge added that the charity breached the law because it promoted itself as a zero slaughter shelter and obtained donations on the premise of that pledge.
The investigation continues.
