Spain’s Ex-Foreign Minister: Polisario Leader’s Entry Kept ’Discreet’ to Avoid Moroccan Backlash

"The arrival of Brahim Ghali in our country was discreet because the request came from a third country [Algeria] and could disturb another country [Morocco on the one hand], and because it is a political personality who was sick and whose right to privacy had to be preserved," Gonzalez Laya said on October 4 during her appearance before the investigating court in Zaragoza.

To read: Former Spanish Foreign Minister Defends Legality of Polisario Leader’s Entry into Spain

The former Minister of Foreign Affairs and her former chief of staff, Camilo Villarino, as well as other former senior government officials, are suspected of having facilitated the entry of Brahim Ghali into Spain. Judge Rafael Lasala, in charge of the case, is investigating to find out who authorized the medical plane carrying the leader of the Polisario Front to land at the Zaragoza air base and to be exempted from customs formalities, in violation of the Schengen regulations.

"No verification of his passport was carried out," Laya confirmed during her appearance, stating that this control was not deemed necessary, especially since "when a state plane arrives from a third country, the customs procedures are not the same as those applied to an ordinary citizen". She also acknowledged that no investigation had been carried out on Ghali’s judicial situation in Spain, even though several cases concerning him were open at the National Court.

To read: Former Spanish Foreign Minister Faces Judge Over Polisario Leader’s Controversial Entry

Despite these admissions, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs refused to reveal the identity of the person responsible for Ghali’s entry into Spain, invoking the law on official secrets and an agreement prohibiting the publication of certain information relating to foreign policy. "The decision to welcome Ghali is political and the fact that it was taken in secrecy does not mean that there was arbitrariness, illegality or concealment on the part of the government," she argued.