Spain sacks ambassador to Belgium

Spanish Ambassador to Belgium Ignacio Jesus Matellanes Martinez has been sacked from his position, the Spanish Foreign Ministry confirmed on Sunday.

The sacking comes after an internal investigation carried out at the Spanish Embassy in Brussels in early March which highlighted some "very serious abnormalities" in the working of the embassy, highlighting the "absenteeism" of the ambassador.

Matellanas Martinez was also accused of having controlled his subordinates "through fear, threats and confrontation", which were denounced by embassy staff.

These denouncements led to the inspection and the subsequent report drawn up by an Under-Secretary at the Ministry, which advised the embassy "does not appear to fulfil the appropriate functions", putting this down to the Matellanas' "method of management", which had left the office "paralyzed and deactivated by absenteeism and the negative attitude of the leader of the mission ... and the total lack of internal communication."

The report also highlighted the ambassador's management style had created a hostile atmosphere where there was an "unusually high level of people missing work through depression."

Source: XINHUA