Spanish Police Chief: Interior Ministry Unaware of Polisario Leader’s Secret Entry

José Ángel González Jiménez certified on Monday to Judge Rafael Lasala in charge of the investigation into Brahim Ghali’s arrival in Spain on April 18, 2021, that the Ministry of the Interior officially recognized the presence of the Polisario Front leader in Spain two weeks after his entry into the country under a false identity. "The Interior did not control his entry into the country, because the police did not know it was him," said the number two of the police.

To read: Spanish Court Allows Key Witness in Polisario Leader Case to Testify Remotely

González Jiménez said he was informed by the Commissioner General for Information, Eugenio Pereiro, of the arrival of a Polisario Front leader on April 18 on a plane that was going to land in Zaragoza, without any details on the identity of the latter. Also summoned to appear, Pereiro confirmed to the judge that the Ministry of the Interior officially established Ghali’s presence in Spain on May 5, nearly a month after his arrival in the country.

It was at the request of the judge of the National Court, Santiago Pedraz, who was investigating a case against the Polisario leader, that the police went to the San Pedro de Logroño hospital where Brahim Ghali was admitted before confirming that it was indeed him, explained the police chief.

To read: Spain Invokes State Secrets Law in Polisario Leader Entry Case

Judge Lasala considers this appearance by González Jiménez as decisive, believing that he is the only one able to provide "the details of the police actions carried out before, during and after Ghali’s arrival in Zaragoza." He deplored the lack of collaboration, out of ignorance or duty of confidentiality, of the authorities involved in this case, with the exception of Camilo Villarino, the former chief of staff of Gonzales Laya.