Former FC Barcelona footballer Gerard Piqué (Barcelona, 36 years old) and his partner Clara Chía (Barcelona, 24 years old) presented before the judge this Wednesday, June 7, the lawsuit they filed against a paparazzi for an alleged harassment offense upheld. Both had asked the judge to issue a restraining order against Jordi Martín. However, Piqué has withdrawn the request and only Chía is sticking to it, even though he has lowered it: he demands that Martín not be closer than a kilometer from her (in the original request he said 3,000 meters). The young woman stated that the surveillance affected her and submitted psychological reports to the court. In June last year, the former athlete and Shakira announced their split after 12 years of dating and two children together. Two months later, the cameras caught Piqué in an affectionate pose with Clara Chía at the Dani Martín concert, and since then both have been the focus of press attention; and they still are.
This Wednesday, the public prosecutor’s office rejected Clara Chía’s request on the grounds that the right to information takes precedence. Jordi Martín stated that he was under investigation and explained that monitoring the couple was part of his job as a photojournalist.
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Piqué has returned to the City of Justice in Barcelona this Wednesday, a scenario he is familiar with: he had to appear for the custody agreement after his break with Shakira – an agreement that allowed the Colombian singer to move to Miami with the two children of the current ex-partner, Milan and Sasha – and in 2008 also for a crime against road safety in Barcelona. He was then fined €48,000 for driving without points on his license.
Both Piqué and Chía have detailed the alleged siege they faced at the hands of Martín last year to the head of Barcelona’s Investigative Court No. 6, Miguel Ángel Tabares. The incident that sparked the complaint happened last May in a parking lot on Beethoven Street in the Catalan capital, very close to the headquarters of Kosmos, a company owned and managed by the ex-Barça player. According to the approximately 30-page complaint, it is a private room that the photojournalist should not have entered to take pictures. The text also notes that the paparazzi have been accompanying the couple not only in Spain but also on various trips abroad over the past year.
The paparazzi, who also testified before the judge, but as has been established, stated that he is doing his job and that he followed Piqué in particular during the phase in which he had a sentimental relationship with Shakira, the end of which is described in detail gets the latest songs by the artist. Martín recalled that Piqué was a public figure and that due to the interest he aroused, he limited himself to following him and taking photos. Regarding the episode in the parking lot, he assured that he did not know that it was a private area and that he did not take any photos.