Military Officers Released Without Charge
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Three senior military officers arrested by the Royal Gibraltar Police on suspicion of perverting the course of justice and conspiracy to do so were released without charge on the 10th March 2017.
On the 8th February the RGP stopped a A400M Airbus Royal Air Force Military transport from taking-off from Gibraltar International Airport as a result of inquiries into a service man who was also of interest to the Leicestershire Constabulary and the Provost Marshal’s office in connection with a separate matter.
The RGP seized materials relating to the investigations and prevented the service man from leaving on the flight.
The case threw up complex issues of jurisdiction as between the RGP and the military authorities. The three senior officers who had arranged for the intended return to the United Kingdom of the suspect were eventually arrested on the 1st March 2017 and released on bail.
Following intense exchanges, during which the senior officers were represented by Charles Gomez and Daniel Benyunes of Gomez & Co, the officers were released without charge on the 10th March 2017.
The attribution of jurisdiction as between the civilian and military authorities will now be clarified in new legislation to ensure that a repetition of this kind of incident is avoided.
