Spanish Court Extends Brahim Ghali Entry Investigation for Six Months

Given the complexity of this judicial case, and as provided for by the Spanish legal system, the procedure will be extended by six months, after the normal deadline of a year-long investigation. The criminal proceedings were opened by Judge Lasala on May 31, 2021, a month and a half after the entry into Spain of Brahim Ghali, the leader of the Polisario Front, recalls La Voz de Cadiz.

In the order dated May 31 to which ABC had access, the judge "points out that two investigation procedures are underway: the information requested from the delegation of the Polisario Front in Spain on the one hand, and the expected statement of Luali Brahim, Ghali’s son, who accompanied him to Spain and who presented the false passport registered at the Logroño hospital, under the false identity of Mohamed Benbatouche, a supposed retired Algerian ambassador".

To read: Spanish Court Closes Case on Polisario Leader’s Controversial Entry, Easing Diplomatic Tensions

Two charges were raised: concealment and forgery of documents. Judge Lasala had focused his efforts on the first charge, seeking to know who authorized the entry of the Sahrawi leader into Spain. The next few months will be devoted to the search for new data to prove whether or not there was forgery of official documents in the context of this case and to establish any links with a crime of prevarication of which Arancha Gonzales Laya is also accused.

The reception of Ghali in Spain, negotiated by the Algerian authorities and authorized by the Spanish authorities, provoked a serious and long diplomatic crisis between Spain and Morocco, which ended last April after Spain’s support for the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara.