BAC Bar Association and Head of National Criminal Court to meet day after tomorrow

Nazario Oleaga, the Chairman of the Basque Autonomous Community's Bar Association, met with Jone Goirizelaia, Iñigo Iruin and Arantza Zulueta yesterday afternoon to enquire about the situation directly
Aitziber Laskibar - BILBO (Bilbao)

Nazario Oleaga, the Chairman of the BAC-Basque Autonomous Community's Bar Association, and Carlos Divar, the Head of the Spanish National Criminal Court, are set to meet on Friday to discuss the 18/98 Case. The 10 a.m. meeting has been arranged in order to discuss the situation of defencelessness in the trial denounced by the defence counsel. BERRIA has learnt that Oleaga will not be going to the National Criminal Court alone but will be accompanied by Carlos Carnicer, the Chairman of the Spanish Bar Association.

The lawyers have complained that the trial in the 18/98 Case is being conducted without the necessary guarantees; they say the Spanish National Criminal Court's team of judges is abusing the right to defence. They requested their Bar Associations for support and this was granted, not only by their own associations but also by the whole of the BAC's Bar Association. The Chairman of the Bar Association promised he would try to meet not only with the Chairman of the Spanish National Criminal Court but also with Angela Murillo, who is leading the team of trial judges. Divar said yesterday morning that he was prepared to meet with Oleaga, "because talking to people is always a good thing." In any event, he said, he had no concerns about what was going on in the 18/98 case: "The trial is proceeding normally and it is understandable that there should be problems, given the nature of the trial and the large number of defendants and lawyers."

Oleaga for his part met yesterday evening with the lawyers who had denounced the abuses. Jone Goirizelaia, Iñigo Iruin and Arantza Zulueta updated the Chairman of the BAC's Bar Association and responded to his doubts and questions. Having provided as much information as possible, they also arranged to let him have documents.

Oleaga is worried. The fact is, according to Jone Gorizelaia, that although the situation is "an absolute disaster", the team of judges insists on continuing with the trial, even if the right to defence has to be abused.

Joseba Azkarraga, the BAC Government's Justice Minister, also expressed his concern about what was going on at the Spanish National Criminal Court. "The right to defence is at stake and that is a basic right which has to be guaranteed." Azkarraga is also worried about the "bad image" that the Law is getting as a result of the trial. "Someone should accept responsibility for this juridico-political anomaly." He also announced that the BAC Government would be deciding before Monday whether to send observers to the trial.