A National Police officer informed the Investigating Court number 2 of Arrecife this Tuesday that the Border Post of the Lanzarote Airport allegedly has been not stamping the passports of national travelers from third countries for three years, against European regulations.
These facts have been presented as an extension of those already reported in 2023 in relation to the alleged irregularities at the César Manrique Border Post. All of this has been brought to the attention of the same Court that received the complaint for the alleged misuse of one million euros of European funds in the border control of the César Manrique Airport, which was also presented to the European Prosecutor's Office.
In the document that La Voz has been able to access, it adds that since June 28, the Headquarters of the National Police in the Canary Islands has allegedly transferred Border agents to other departments of the police station, while mobilizing to the airport as "reinforcement personnel" to "private security, secretarial or automotive officials".
Likewise, the National Police officer has expressed his doubts about "the training" that the reinforcement personnel being sent to the airport have to attend to the arrival or departure of passengers, while denouncing that "Border personnel are kept out of their catalog position for operational reasons"
The agent assures that the facts are part of an alleged crime of prevarication by omission, which would be "ordered by the superior, when the border official does not act in accordance with his duties and causes damage to the public interest."
Thus, he states that the border crossing is "controlled halfway" and with a "permanent state of exceptionality", and even that "exit controls cannot be carried out in their entirety", so there would be "an overstay" on European soil with "the damage of being able to deny them entry on a future trip to the territory" of the Union.
He also indicates that this past June 28, the service has posted posters reminding of the obligation to stamp the passports of citizens of third countries, as required by the Schengen Borders Code since 2016.
In this document that this editorial office has also had access to, it can be read: "The police officers on duty at this border post of the Lanzarote Airport are reminded of the obligation to stamp all nationals of third countries in border controls both on entry and exit".
In addition, this same message indicates that the stamp must be given "even in the case of flexibilization of border inspections".
According to the regulations, national travelers from third countries must present "means of subsistence, return ticket, accommodation for travelers" and meet other requirements.
Thus, he links "this last change in the development of the service" of the Border Police of the Lanzarote Airport to the intention of "giving an appearance of legality or normality" and accuses them of "continuing to violate European regulations".
However, the National Police officer highlights before the Court that "this permanent flexibilization" translates into the fact that supposedly "not only is the exit control not being complied with", but that the border officials "would not be checking the entry stamps in the Schengen territory (to deny it in the appropriate case)".
In addition, he argues that this situation cannot be framed within an extraordinary case, because "airport operability is known with sufficient anticipation in all cases".
