Arrest warrant against far-right agitator Vito Quiles lifted after he appears at Madrid court

The court appearance

Vito Quiles walked into Madrid's Plaza de Castilla courthouse around noon on Friday accompanied by his lawyer, Gonzalo Ospina, and formally joined the proceedings as a defendant. Judge Rosa María Freire of Instruction Court No. 32 lifted the arrest warrant that had been active since 1 July and scheduled Quiles to testify on 20 July at 12:45 pm. The judge warned that any further unjustified absence could lead to a new detention order.

“I've been at my lawyer's house, which has a pool; I've been at some friends' houses.”

The agitator held a press conference at the courthouse, insisting he had never intentionally evaded the court. He claimed that when his defence tried to arrange a voluntary statement earlier, the judge refused. Judicial sources denied this account, explaining that a statement cannot be organised on the spot and requires advance notice to notify all parties.

Background of the case

The investigation stems from a post in which Quiles identified a Treasury civil servant by name and photograph. He claimed the official had been in prison and was released thanks to the intervention of Yolanda Díaz, then hired as an advisor by former vice-president María Jesús Montero. The civil servant, a public administration employee since 1985, filed a defamation complaint, calling the allegations false.

Quiles had been summoned to testify on 9 June and again on 25 June. When he failed to appear on either date, Judge Freire issued the arrest warrant, noting in her ruling that the defendant was "withdrawing from the action of justice." National Police officers visited his home and the offices of his media outlet, EDATV, but did not find him.

Two days as a fugitive with a poolside taunt

During the 48 hours the warrant was active, Quiles stayed in a residential complex in the exclusive Mirasierra neighbourhood, next to the headquarters of the state bad bank, Sareb. He posted a social media photograph showing the Sareb building in the background, with a sarcastic caption: "The Government is having a hot day. Two more to go! If you want to come to my pool to cool off, you're invited."

Political fallout

Minutes after the warrant was lifted, Transport Minister Óscar Puente mocked Quiles's claim of a political conspiracy, writing on X that the whole "little drama" could have been avoided had Quiles attended his summonses, calling it "the milk conspiracy." The post reignited the public spat between the two, which had been simmering for days and now mixes judicial proceedings with political messaging.

Other open cases

Quiles faces several additional legal proceedings. In Madrid he is under investigation for alleged disclosure of secrets and harassment against Beatriz Corredor, the president of grid operator Red Eléctrica. A separate court in Seville has indicted him for alleged defamation against Rubén Sánchez, the secretary general of consumer group Facua.