The judge of the National Court María Tardón distrusts the Government’s version and yesterday requested more data from before, during and after the invasion of Ceuta last July. In an order, to which this newspaper had access, the magistrate requested a whole battery of proceedings aimed at clarifying, above all, what information the authorities had before the massive and irregular entry of immigrants, what they did in response to the already existing alerts – demonstrated, in addition, after the declassification of police and military reports by Pedro Sánchez’s Executive – and what specific circumstances led to an “operational collapse.”
In the resolution, Tardón specifically demands documentation from the Ministry of the Interior, the Government Delegation in Ceuta and numerous units of the National Police, Civil Guard and Defense to reconstruct the trail of the alerts that could have been issued in relation to these events and, if positive, the recipients and the means used for their communication and dissemination, with an expression of the date and time in which they took place. In addition, he requested other proceedings in a separate piece of “technological investigation”, which will be under summary secrecy.
Regarding the fear of leaks, the head of the Central Investigative Court Number 3 has set the objective of shielding communications with the investigative units. Sources familiar with the progress assure LA RAZÓN that the judge has requested “total discretion” from the police commanders on whom the investigations depend. The judge considers that “good work” is being done by the agents, especially in the reservations they are having so that there are no leaks to their bosses or the press.
Immigration agents, especially those from the National Center for Immigration and Borders (Cenif), were singled out by the Government since the content of their report became known, which pointed out the passivity, if not participation, of Moroccan gendarmes and “plainclothes” agents in the mass entry at the end of July. But the greatest anger came from the Ministry of the Interior, since the head of the portfolio, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, was unaware of the content of the document. The members of the units are “more than calm” because they know that the information that ended up in the press did not come from them. Even so, Judge Tardón has asked those responsible to be cautious during the coming weeks.
The instructor is not the first judicial authority to act in this way so far this term. The magistrates are covering the researchers’ backs so that their superiors are not tempted to influence what they write. The most recent example, and perhaps the most high-profile, was that of the “Plus Ultra Case”.
The investigation into the alleged laundering of the Venezuelan airline fully involves former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, “totem” of the PSOE and reference for the current leader of the Executive. Before the summary secrecy was lifted, much information already pointed to his involvement, although there was no police or judicial document to support it. For this reason, the Chief Anti-Corruption Prosecutor, Alejandro Luzón, demanded that the investigators of the Economic Crime Unit (UDEF) of the National Police only communicate their progress to him, avoiding informing his superiors, knowing that the chain of command would end in Marlaska.
Requests
Tardón, who is trying to find out if the massive entry constituted a serious attack against the “territorial integrity of Spain” and could have affected the peace or independence of the State, considers that all the requested procedures are supported by the “seriousness of the facts” and by the circumstance that “we are facing an organized, complex action with possible international ramifications.”
Among other things, the judge requested police proceedings related to digital communications to identify the promoters and coordinators of the massive entry into social networks and biometric actions to try to find out who were those already called “initiators”, who acted as “active guides” to the irregular immigrants.
In this sense, the judge, who also demands the geolocation data, connection times and digital traceability obtained from said profiles on social networks, has agreed that once this report is received, International Commissions Rogatory and European Investigation Orders will have to be issued to the detected digital platforms. Furthermore, he believes it is necessary to prepare a financial and asset report on the possible financing of the mobilization because, as he details, “a massive influx of between 75,000 and 85,000 people to Ceuta can hardly occur without material and financial resources.”
The investigation into the massive entry into Ceuta this summer appears to be getting longer. The procedures that Tardón has ordered are not easy to solve, since possibly much of the documentation is classified, which means that it is the Council of Ministers who gives the go-ahead to send it to him. For the same reason, due to the possible delay of the investigation, Tardón has requested the same reservation from the investigators that was already claimed in the case in which Zapatero is accused, to avoid any political interference.