The Ceuta prosecutor’s office requested a 12-year ban on the former government delegate Salvadora Mateos and the city’s vice-president and Mabel Deu, for the return of 55 Moroccan minors to the Kingdom back in August 2021.
According to Spanish outlet El Diario, this bans Mateos and Deu from holding elective or governmental functions for the aforementioned period.
The prosecutor’s office asked to withdraw from the two officials “the honors associated with their duties,” in addition to suspending their right to vote.
The prosecution considered that Mateos and Deu committed a crime of administrative nature, by carrying out the return of minors, knowing that this decision did not comply with legislation in force.
“Although no responsibility was reported by the Ministry of the Interior, the operation was facilitated and encouraged by Fernando Grande-Marlaska’s department, while the former delegate herself declared that she was following Madrid orders.”
The case dates back to May 2021, when thousands of people crossed to the Spanish Ceuta enclave through its border with Morocco.
The mass irregular migration attempt occurred in the midst of a year-long diplomatic crisis between Spain and Morocco, which was eventually resolved this year.
The Vice-President of Ceuta initiated the return of 145 minors, when from January 13 to January 16, the delegation and vice-presidency proceeded to the return of 55 minors before courts suspended the measure.
The prosecutor’s office maintains that the return of these adolescents took place “without following the procedure established by the current legal system and, therefore, without verifying the concordance of the legal assumptions that would allow it.”
The return operation was carried out despite the fact that the head of minor affairs in Ceuta, María Antonia Palomo, repeatedly expressed her disagreement with this procedure, claiming that it was contrary to national and international law, stated the prosecution.
The delegation and the government of Ceuta defended their actions, claiming that a 2007 agreement with Morocco legally authorises such actions.
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