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Denver – A Spanish investigation has been launched to clarify who was responsible for allowing Polisario Leader Brahim Ghali into the Spanish city of Zaragoza under false pretenses earlier this year .
Spanish lawyer Antonio Galvez filed a formal complaint to the court of Zaragoza alleging “ possible falsification, prevarication and concealment,” according to local media. Customs officials that were present during Ghali’s arrival allege that when the Polisario leader landed “passports were not requested.” In fact, according to the General Chief of Air Mobility at the Zaragoza base, “orders were received…that the personnel traveling on the plane should not pass passport or customs control.”
This, along with the fact that the plane was an “official Algerian government plane,” has raised many eyebrows from critics as Spanish officials continue to maintain they had no knowledge of Ghali’s agenda.
While the origins of these orders are still not clear, some in the defense ministry have placed the blame on the Spanish Ministry of Foriegn Affairs. Spanish FM Arancha Laya has already come under severe criticism over her Ministry’s handling of the scandal, in addition to the issue’s fallout which exacerbated tensions with Morocco.
A Spanish Judge ruled Ghali would not be forced to stand trial for a long list of alleged war crimes, prompting many in Spain to begin to seek answers as to how Ghali was allowed entrance into Spain considering the open complaints against him.
Spanish sources report that diplomatic immunity was certainly given to Ghali during his entrance to Spain. This enabled his arrival “with his own documentation” into the country, although he presented false identification at the hospital he was admitted to in Logrono.
Spain’s hosting of Ghali remains a sore point in Moroccan-Spanish relations, and has resulted in a deteriorating political relationship that continues to affect the regional political climate.
