Manzanas' service under Franco's regime, the fact that he was known for having used police torture, and the fact that he was not the first torturer rewarded by the Spanish Government raised some controversy about this award.
Manzanasova služba pod Francovim režimom i činjenica da je bio poznat po tome što koristi policijsku torturu i činjenica da on nije bio prvi mučitelj kojega je nagradila španjolska Vlada podigli su buru u javnosti oko ove nagrade.