Marlaska recognizes the illegal dismissal of Colonel Pérez de los Cobos and restores him to his post

The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande Marlaska, has restored Civil Guard Colonel Diego Pérez de los Cobos as head of the Madrid Command. The Supreme Court annulled the dismissal of the colonel last March and the term to comply with the sentence expired on August 4. As El Confidencial revealed, Pérez de los Cobos was dismissed in 2020 for refusing to inform his political superiors of a judicial investigation that affected the Government of Pedro Sánchez.

Last March, the Supreme Court gave a period of two months to restore him to his post, but the Interior delayed the collection of the notification of the sentence to stretch the execution times and not carry out the reinstatement of the colonel until after the general elections.

The dismissal of Pérez de los Cobos occurred on May 24, 2020, after issuing a report to the Investigating Court Number 51 of Madrid that questioned the celebration of the 8-M march and 129 other mass events in the midst of the covid-19 crisis. 19. The investigations focused on the actions of the Government Delegation during the start of the pandemic for authorizing demonstrations such as International Women's Day.

The Government and the Ministry of the Interior found out about this diligence in the press and their reaction was to dismiss the command. The former general director of the body, María Gámez, acknowledged in writing that she had been relieved for “not reporting the development of investigations and actions of the Civil Guard, in the operational framework and of the Judicial Police, for information purposes”.

The Supreme Court concluded last March that the interference of the Ministry of the Interior in this case was not “admissible” because the dismissed man and his agents on Judicial Police duties were “at the orders of the magistrate.”. “She had ordered absolute confidentiality and that only she be informed,” the magistrates warned when annulling her dismissal.

Pérez de los Cobos was replaced in the Madrid Command by the then Colonel David Blanes. After the Supreme Court ruling, the Council of Ministers approved the promotion to general of this command on July 12, as reported by El Confidencial. His promotion has occurred in record time despite the fact that he obtained one of the worst grades in the merit and ability contest for promotion to general.

The news has caused enormous anger in the Armed Institute. Before being chosen by Marlaska for that responsibility, Blanes was in charge of the Barajas Fiscal and Airport Unit. Precisely during his time at the capital's aerodrome, the Delcygate scandal occurred in February 2020, in which the then Minister of Transportation, José Luis Ábalos, was involved.. With the promotion, Blanes will have a new destination.