The Second Section of the Provincial Court of Palma will judge from next Monday the alleged skipper of a skiff that arrived in Formentera. Formentera in March with 13 immigrants on board. The Public Prosecutor’s Office requests for the accused a sentence of five years in prison for an alleged crime against the rights of foreign citizens.
Travel from Algeria under extreme conditions
According to the prosecution’s indictment, the trip began off the coast of Algeria on the night of March 18, aboard a small four-meter boat equipped with a 40 horsepower engine. The group’s initial intention was to reach the peninsula, but the plan failed due to a lack of fuel, forcing them to disembark in Formentera the following day, at around 19:00 hours. The Public Prosecutor’s Office highlights the precarious conditions in which the journey was carried out: the skiff lacked food, safety elements or rescue equipment, which put the lives of the 13 passengers, all of Algerian nationality, at serious risk.
Possible expulsion in case of conviction
The prosecutor points out that the accused, who has been in pre-trial detention for three days after his arrival in Formentera, would have organized the trip together with other persons not yet identified. If found guilty, the Public Prosecutor’s Office requests that the prison sentence be commuted to expulsion from Spanish territory, since the defendant has no criminal record. The trial, to be held on Monday at 10:00 a.m., will focus on the risks involved in this type of journey and the role of those who organize these dangerous trips.
