Pérez de los Cobos, the big mistake? by Marlaska

It is impossible to reach a ministry with a better image than the one with which Fernando Grande-Marlaska landed in the Department of the Interior. Until then, the judge of the National Court had become one of the great scourges of ETA and his relations with the State Security Forces (mainly the anti-terrorist services) were unbeatable.

But no one is capable of explaining if he had a heat stroke or already came with preconceived ideas and large orders from Moncloa, but his arrival at Castellana 5 was that of another Marlaska. He put on his rain helmet and began the calendar of rapprochements for the ETA members. That was and is a government policy that the Minister of the Interior has to carry out, but which caused the practically unanimous discomfort of the victims of terrorism.

But that was not his big mistake. Undoubtedly, the dismissal of Pérez de los Cobos for not giving him information on a judicial matter on which the instructor had prohibited giving information, opened the box of thunder in a Ministry that was no longer the same. His relationship with the Civil Guard was seriously deteriorated. It was leaked that the reason had been an irrepressible fit of rage by Marlaska at the colonel's refusal.. The data he requested affected an investigation in which the Government's performance during the Covid was being checked. But the message that he conveyed within the Armed Institute was clear: anyone who does not obey me, whatever the order, will be dismissed.. Manu militari, the message got through and in what way among the forces and bodies of State security.

But, in addition, Marlaska knew that this colonel was not just any. He had been the coordinator between bodies from the Secretary of State for Security with both the socialist administration and the popular one. And, in addition, he was in charge of carrying out the application of article 155 in Catalonia. He became the man of the State in terms of security in the autonomous community. He was the one who unsuccessfully tried to associate the Mossos in the deployment to avoid voting. He was the one who had to fight the leather with the dome of the regional police at that time and the one who put all the meat on the grill to prevent the illegal vote. And there were serious police charges.

And the surname Pérez de los Cobos became one of the most hated by the Catalan rupturists. His head was one of the political demands of Pedro Sánchez's partners.

That is why the doubt persists: Was it a blow of anger or did he take advantage of the colonel's refusal to dismiss him and have the Prime Minister offer his head to the independentistas? Now, Justice has rectified Marlaska's mistake, yes, the one who was a judge, and has restored the colonel to his destiny. It remains to be seen whether Interior, who was number one in his class, will be promoted to general.