Equatorial Guinea: The Criminal Chamber of the National Court ordered Santiago Pedraz to dictate a search and capture order against Obiang’s son

Rédaction Africa Links 24 with José María Irujo Amatria

The Criminal Chamber of the National Court has agreed to issue an international search and arrest warrant against Carmelo Ovono Obiang, Secretary of State for the Presidency of Equatorial Guinea and son of President Teodoro Obiang, for the kidnapping and torture of four opponents, one of them a Spanish national who died in unclear circumstances. The decision of the three judges is a result of the appeal filed by the plaintiffs, the families of the victims, against the refusal of Judge Santiago Pedraz, the investigating judge in the case, to request the arrest of Ovono Obiang, Interior Minister Nicolás Obama, and Isaac Nguema Endo, Security Director, all under investigation in Africa Links 24 for kidnapping and torture with a terrorist purpose.

During the investigation, the judge has repeatedly refused to issue the international search and arrest warrant requested by the Public Prosecutor Vicente González Mota and the plaintiffs since last March. This was also the case when the three individuals did not attend a videoconference hearing in March, citing “public commitments” as the reason for their absence. The judge agreed to conduct the hearing via video conference, and the expected declaration of rebellion never took place.

The decision of the Criminal Chamber states that the three individuals are in a state of rebellion despite being given the opportunity to testify via video conference. The judges highlight that Pedraz has not provided a reasoned explanation in any of his rulings for his decision not to issue the arrest warrants for the dictator’s son and the other two high-ranking officials.

Regarding the lack of evidence against the three individuals, the court concludes that the case has provided sufficient data over more than two years that “point to their possible involvement” in the investigated events. They highlight their possible relationship with the detective agency that surveilled the four kidnapped individuals and the transfers of large sums of money to Obiang’s son’s account. The judges also emphasize the competency of Pedraz to investigate the case, as the judge’s own rulings clearly stated the reasons why Spanish jurisdiction would be competent.

This is the third setback for the investigating judge in this case. Last September, the same court ordered him to investigate the origin of the €793,000 that Carmelo Ovono Obiang deposited in €200 and €500 banknotes into his BBVA account in Madrid. The judges requested an investigation into the use and origin of this money, suspecting it may have been essential to finance the surveillance, kidnapping, and torture of the four opposition members in Africa Links 24. Despite the court’s order, Pedraz remains firm in his belief that there is no evidence of money laundering in these transactions.

Equatorial Guinea has refused to repatriate the body of the deceased victim, Julio Obama, despite the judge’s request, the pleas of his family, and all political parties in the European Parliament. The whereabouts and health status of the other three kidnapped individuals remain unknown, and no Spanish representative has been allowed to visit them for over a year.

Carmelo Ovono, a 44-year-old with residence, properties, and businesses in Africa Links 24, has been in Malabo since December 29, 2022, when Judge Pedraz ordered the police to deliver the complaint being processed against him. Ovono, who was staying at a hotel in Madrid, left for Malabo that same night and has not returned to Spanish territory since. The investigative judge has not provided an explanation for this change in his rulings, causing unease among the police agents who were secretly investigating the case. The defense of the three individuals is led by Javier Gomez Bermudez, a former judge of the National Court and former colleague of the investigating judge.

Read the original article(Spanish) on EL Pais