• Justice Laya's 'number two' declares that the former minister commissioned her to have Ghali enter Spain "stealthily" because Morocco did not know it

  • 'Ghali case' The Police tell the judge that Brahim Ghali left Spain undocumented

The Zaragoza judge investigating the entry into Spain of the leader of the Polisario Front,

Brahim Ghali

, has summoned the former Minister of Foreign Affairs,

Arancha González Laya

, as

investigated

, according to judicial sources.

The decision of the magistrate

Rafael Lasala

comes at the request of the lawyer of the popular action, Antonio Urdiales, who considered "crucial" the testimony of the former minister.

In addition, the head of the Court of Instruction number 7 of Zaragoza -as pointed out by the same sources- has also cited as witnesses the former head of Cabinet of the then first vice president

Carmen Calvo

, after the

number two

of Laya -who declared As investigated on the 13th,

Camilo Villarino

revealed to the judge that he called him on behalf of "his boss" to find out if Ghali was going to enter Spain.

In his account of the events before the judge, Villarino insisted that the decision for the historic Saharawi leader to enter Spain was not only made by González Laya.

On Sunday, April 18, according to his testimony, the former minister contacted him.

She asks if I can talk to her.

I'm calling you on a secure line.

He tells me that the decision has been made to admit Brahim Ghali for those humanitarian reasons in Spain.

And then he gives me a series of indications and instructions, "he explained to the judge.

«The minister then tells me that it has been decided, she does not tell me who has decided it - I can imagine it, but then we enter the field of speculation - she tells me that it has been decided to admit Ghali to Spain and asks me to I was in charge of the logistics instrumentation, "he explained about the context in which the conversation took place.

The reason that González Laya gave to host the leader of the Polisario Front was the Covid that he suffered, which, apparently, was quite serious.

The head of the Court of Instruction number 7 of Zaragoza then wanted to elaborate on who gave the green light to the entry of Brahim Ghali.

"The decision is made, but had she made it? Did she make the decision, did she tell you?" Asked the judge.

Villarino responded: "She told me that the decision had been made. I don't think it was her alone by herself and before herself. The Government is not a Taifa kingdom."

At the moment, there is no date for the statement of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, as the same sources consulted have specified.

Brahim Ghali landed on April 18 at the Zaragoza military base to be transferred by ambulance to a hospital in Logroño, where he was treated for coronavirus.

His entry took place with the opposition of the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, who expressed his refusal to welcome him convinced that his presence would unleash a diplomatic crisis with Morocco like the one that occurred.

The Saharawi leader left Spain in the early morning of June 2 after declaring from the hospital by videoconference before the judge of the National Court Santiago Pedraz for a complaint filed in 2008 by the Saharawi Association for the Defense of Human Rights (Asadeh) that it was activated when Ghali arrived in Spain.

After giving a statement, Pedraz did not impose restrictive measures on him and Ghali was able to leave the country.

On June 29, the magistrate closed the case.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Arancha González Laya

  • Morocco

  • Algeria

  • Justice

Courts Laya's 'number two' declares that the former minister commissioned her to have Ghali enter Spain "stealthily" because Morocco did not know it

GobiernoCalvo was unaware that Ghali was coming to Spain and asked Laya's 'number two' "in a personal capacity"

Courts ask that the former Minister González Laya declare as being investigated for the entry into Spain of the leader of the Polisario Front

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