The Diplomat in Spain

Carlos Salamanca, in a file picture.

The Diplomat. 01/08/2018

National Court’s Judge, Diego de Egea, dismissed this month the accusation of criminal organization, bribery, money laundering and crime against citizens of Equatorial Guinea in the so-called ‘Operation Tandem’ which affected the commissioner Carlos Salamanca, his wife and his son.

The magistrate concluded that there is no indication of the participation of those investigated in the crimes charged in the prosecution’s complaint. De Egea explained that in the acts of who was responsible for the border post of the Madrid-Barajas airport does not see any of the elements required to charge Salamanca with organized crime or criminal gang.

Regarding the crime against the right of foreign citizens and bribery, De Egea noted that the identity of any of the Equatorial Guinean citizens who could have benefited from the visa concessions is not clear, nor is any documentary proof of the issuance of those documents. border visas without compliance with regulatory protocols.

The resolution also indicated, in reference to the alleged gifts given to Salamanca, that there are insufficient rational elements of imputation to consider that they were due to any act of this commissioner contrary to the duties inherent in his position.

Nor has it been evidently demonstrated, according to De Egea, that «(he) would allow any illegal way of introduction into national territory of unknown funds from Equatorial Guinea, because at no time has a foreign person been identified carrying that money».