Profile: Vicente Gonzalez Mota

Hugo Llorens, the deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Madrid, sends out a cable referencing Spanish High Court prosecutor Vicente Gonzalez Mota. The US embassy and Mota are working together to block a Spanish lawsuit against the use of Mallorca as a stopover in the CIA’s rendition program. US officials know Gonzalez well because he served as the Spanish representative in the embassy’s Bilateral Counter Terrorism Experts Working Group. “We find him to be an engaging and helpful colleague and anticipate that he will be sensitive to the Spanish government’s preference that this case not proceed,” writes Llorens. Nevertheless, Llorens adds that Spanish judges “fiercely guard their independence and are willing to break new ground on issues of jurisdiction.” [El Pais, 12/3/2010]