The Second Section of the Provincial Court of Palma will hold next Wednesday (09.30 am), the preliminary hearing of the trial against a man accused of skippering a boat from Algeria to Ibiza.
The prosecution requests that the defendant be sentenced to five years’ imprisonment as the alleged perpetrator of a crime against the rights of foreign citizens.
The crossing, according to the prosecutor in her indictment, began last April 21 from Algeria and ended two days later in waters near the island of Ibiza, where they were intercepted.
When the vessel entered the waters near the smallest of the Pitiusas, it remained adrift due to lack of fuel.
The accused, who in collusion with other persons who, according to the prosecutor, could not be identified, organized the trip, and was in charge of skippering a six-meter skiff that did not comply with maritime safety standards, in which 20 other immigrants of Algerian nationality were traveling.
According to the representative of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the vessel “lacked safety and life-saving, radio-electric and fire-fighting elements, exceeding the maximum passenger capacity authorized by the Spanish maritime administration”.
Therefore, it is considered that the crossing“endangered the life and integrity of all those on board“, who were finally assisted by Salvamento Marítimo.
Continue reading:
-
Frontex plane searches for missing migrants from a patera between Formentera and Cabrera
-
18 migrants disappear from skiff after days adrift
-
More boats and less resources: Rescue, at the limit in Ibiza and Formentera
-
Camps for immigrants in the ports of Ibiza and Formentera are set up amid a new wave of pateras (small boats)
