The French Prosecutor’s Office ruled on Wednesday in favour of handing over to Spain the former head of ETA logistics Félix Ignacio Esparza Luri to be tried for the attack against the Santa Pola Guardia Civil barracks in August 2002, in which two people died and dozens were injured .
His case was examined in just two minutes before the Paris Court of Appeal, which will announce its decision on September 11.
The defence lawyer, Romain Ruiz, could not be present at the hearing and was replaced by a colleague, who referred to the arguments presented to the court in writing without developing them.
Esparza Luri did not attend either to avoid having to travel from the Lannemezan prison, in the southwest of France, more than 700 kilometres from Paris, where he is serving his sentence.
The ETA member did appear before the investigative chamber on May 29 and then rejected the euro warrant for this reason, which is the first step of Spanish Justice against him.
This European court order issued by the National Court of Madrid is the result of his accusation for two terrorist murders (punishable by up to 30 years in prison for each), 55 attempted terrorist murders (20 years) and terrorist attacks (20 years).
In the case of the car bomb attack next to the Santa Pola barracks on August 4, 2002, in which a man who was nearby and the 6-year-old daughter of an agent died, Esparza Luri is not involved. But he is accused of being the material author of the events.
ETA members Oscar Zelarain and Andoni Otegi were previously sentenced in 2012 to a total of 843 years in prison for the same incident.
But the National Court considers that the members of the executive committee of the terrorist organization ordered the attack and for that reason it charged six ETA leaders at that time.
That includes Esparza Luri, who is considered to have headed the logistics apparatus until his arrest in Saint Paul de Dax, southwestern France, on April 2, 2004.
Having been captured in France, Spain must obtain the approval of the French Justice authorities to place him on the bench.
