The Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, has questioned the "partiality" of the judge of the National Court (AN) María Tardón and has described it as "quite strange" that she requested the investigative team of the National Police not to convey to the police commanders the conclusions of the report on the massive entry of immigrants in Ceuta, as it concerns "issues related to national security."
"At first, it denotes a certain principle of distrust that in some way would be speaking very poorly of the judge's impartiality, because I do not quite understand why the judge has to distrust," Puente stated in an interview on 'Hora 25' of Cadena Ser, reported by Europa Press.
The head of Transport, who emphasized that "the desire of the Government" is "to protect Spanish territory," also criticized that the content of the police report has been publicly disseminated "through a media outlet well known for its right-wing bias."
"That in the end the public opinion accesses that report through that channel, when the Executive had no knowledge of it, is truly strange," Puente continued, who equated what happened with the case of Álvaro García Ortiz, disqualified and convicted "for the leak of an email that did not provide any fundamental information, neither for the country nor for any good worthy of special protection." "It smells a little fishy," he concluded.
In this line, he recalled that Tardón is a magistrate "who comes from the political world," referring to her time as a councilor of the Madrid City Council with the PP. "She has shown signs that her impartiality can be doubted," he insisted.
Suspicions about the evidence and the role of Morocco
On the other hand, he pointed out that he is unaware of the elements of evidence that the magistrate of the AN has. "If with everything the judge has is the famous police report, in which even some photos that have nothing to do with Ceuta or its surroundings are included, then I do not know if it is a very wise decision, but in any case the judge will know what evidence she has," he added.
Puente indicated that videos are circulating on social media where "certain laxity, for example, of the Moroccan police" is observed, but also others "well characterized and with a fixed date" in which "the opposite" is seen.
"We do not have evidence to lead us to the conclusion that this is an operation organized by the Moroccan government, far from it, and therefore we cannot act as if it were the accredited hypothesis," he concluded.
Finally, he expressed his confidence that the Police are conducting their investigations autonomously from the AN and that "they will be reporting and will have results from that investigation available to their commanders and the Ministry of the Interior."
The National Court appreciates a favorable attitude from Morocco
Puente's words come after María Tardón decided to take over the investigation into the massive entry of immigrants in Ceuta at the end of July, having noted "permissiveness" and "favorable management" from Moroccan territory.
In an order reported by Europa Press, the judge states that it is "a criminal conduct allegedly committed abroad that has severely attacked the 'territorial integrity of Spain', which is guaranteed in Article 2 of the Constitution, using for this the massive entry into our country, to which irregular migratory flows have joined that have severely affected the life and rights of the citizens of Ceuta."
At the same time, she points to "a clear and undeniable favorable management of the process from the territory of the Kingdom of Morocco" that "is evidenced through the confirmed and graphically contrasted behavior of the Moroccan Security Forces."