A BULLRING boss has been placed under investigation after a retired matador was fatally gored while working behind the scenes on Good Friday.
Jose Maria Garzon, head of the company running La Malagueta bullring, has been summoned to court as a suspect in a probe into possible workplace safety breaches.
Tragedy struck in Malaga last month when a bull killed veteran bullfighter Ricardo Ortiz as he prepared cattle for a major Easter weekend display.
Garzon will testify on May 15 as investigators probe possible safety shortcuts in one of Spain’s most dangerous professions.
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He works for Lances de Futuro, a Spanish company that specialises in events in bullrings.
Ortiz had hung up his suit of lights and was working as a corralero behind the scenes when a bull gored him at around 7.40pm on April 3 in the bullring’s holding pens.
A 507kg bull named Sonajerillo inflicted injuries so severe that Ortiz died at the scene, despite a rapid emergency response.
A Malaga court, backed by the High Court of Justice of Andalucia, is now examining whether the case involved breaches of basic safety protocols.
Key questions remain unanswered, including why the bull was out of its pen at the time and whether proper controls were in place.
Investigators are also probing irregularities surrounding the animal itself.
They later found that Sonajerillo had damaged horns, despite authorities granting no authorisation for any such procedure.
Authorities had only granted permission for a different bull scheduled for the following day’s Picassiana event.
READ MORE: Retired matador, 51, gored to death on the Costa del Sol while preparing animal for Easter bullfight
The discrepancy raises fresh concerns about what happens behind the scenes in the run-up to a bullfight.
Police initially treated the death as a workplace accident, but the homicide unit has now submitted a report to the court.
The court is still awaiting final autopsy results to determine if the death is directly linked to safety failures.
Lances de Futuro paid tribute to Ortiz in the immediate aftermath, calling him a ‘much-loved and respected’ figure in the bullfighting world.
But the company has gone quiet since the legal spotlight intensified.
The case has sent shockwaves through Spain’s bullfighting circles and could reignite debate over safety standards in the industry.
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