The magistrate who instructs the 'Leire Díez case', Santiago Pedraz, has decided to extend the appointment of Colonel of the Civil Guard Antonio Balas as the highest responsible for the unit of the Central Operational Unit (UCO) that carries out the investigations of this case in the Armed Institute.
This is stated in a provision to which Europa Press has had access, in which the judge explains that his resolution is due to "the extraordinary complexity of the proceedings, their special institutional and legal significance, the state of development of the investigative proceedings, and the need to ensure their continuity, integrity, effectiveness, confidentiality, and impartiality".
In September, the Official Bulletin of the Ministry of Defense recorded Balas's promotion to the rank of colonel, a provision in which it was already anticipated that he would continue at the head of the UCO's anti-corruption unit, as requested by the judge of the 'Koldo case', Ismael Moreno.
Now, Pedraz makes a similar decision "on a permanent basis without his promotion or possible change of destination due to this circumstance removing him from this responsibility, given the general interest, the needs of the service, and the guarantees inherent to the exercise of Judicial Police functions," as detailed in said resolution.
In the same document, the magistrate emphasizes that "it is evident that this investigation presents characteristics that advise preserving the stability of its operational direction, avoiding organizational alterations that could introduce factors of disturbance, discontinuity, or risk in the normal development of the proceedings".
Consequently, he concludes that "the purpose of the extension responds to the concurrence of exceptional reasons and public interest, with the adequate provision of Judicial Police service and with the need to safeguard the effectiveness of the criminal investigation".