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Interpol has slapped down the Spanish police on Twitter, after they today arrested in Madrid William Browder, a British financier strongly critical of Vladimir Putin. The saga of Browder's arrest was bizarre, and he was quickly released.

The tension between Interpol and the Spanish police spilled onto social media. It started when the latter used the former as a shield: "Bill Browder has remained in police custody this morning for the minimum necessary time, after being verified by INTERPOL Spain that the arrest warrant issued by the Russian authorities for tax evasion was invalid."

Interpol wasn't happy about being dragged into the issue by Spanish authorities: "There is not, and never has been, a Red Notice for Bill Browder. Mr Browder is not wanted via INTERPOL channels."

Spanish police made the arrest following a warrant from Russia which Interpol had rejected in 2013 and again last October, warning member states to ignore Moscow's attempt to pursue the financier.

But Spanish police preferred to mechanically go through the formalities, regardless of the history of the case. In fact, Browder said on Twitter that "ironically, the reason I’m in Madrid is to give evidence to senior Spanish anti Russian mafia prosecutor Jose Grinda about the huge amount of money from the Magnitsky case that flowed to Spain. Now that I’m released my mission carries on."

Sergei Magnitsky was a lawyer and accountant who had worked for Browder's company and who died in a Russian prison in 2009 in controversial circumstances. Following his death, Browder campaigned to pass Magnitsky Laws in different countries to sanction a number of Russian individuals involved in human rights abuses.

 

A National Police spokesperson said that Browder had been arrested by mistake. They realised that the international arrest warrant wasn't valid once he was already at the police station.

It was Browder himself who revealed his arrest on Twitter: "Just was arrested by Spanish police in Madrid on a Russian Interpol arrest warrant." In a second tweet, he posted a photo from inside the police car.

Within two hours, however, he was free. "Good news. Spanish National Police just released me after Interpol General Secretary in Lyon advised them not to honor the new Russian Interpol Red Notice. This is the 6th time that Russia has abused Interpol in my case," he announced.

Complaints against Rajoy

The case has worried Great Britian, where a former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter were poisoned by a nerve agent in March. The British government has accused the Kremlin of being behind the attack. British foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, spoke with Browder this Wednesday, then sent a tweet with a message for Russia: "Moscow should concentrate on bringing those responsible for the murder of Magnitsky to justice".

Guy Verhofstadt, leader of ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) in the European Parliament, tweeted directly to Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy: "Worrying that autocratic Russia can get democratic Spain to go after someone fighting to expose Putin's crimes & those responsible for Magnitsky's murder. Browder's rights must be protected". He later retweeted Browder's tweet announcing his release.

Browder and his investment fund, Hermitage Capital Management, grew to be one of the largest foreign investors in Russia. Since 2009, he has headed a campaign to expose corruption in Putin's administration, whom he blames for the death in custody of Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer who had represented the company. Magnitsky was arrested in 2008 and held for seven days short of a year without trial on charges widely believed to be false. Claims have since emerged that he was tortured in prison.

Following this, the investor started a campaign which led to the US Congress approving the so-called Magnitsky Act, which imposes sanctions (assets freezes, travel restrictions, etc) on various powerful figures close to Putin. The Russian president has it in for both the law and its promoter. Browder was sentenced in abstentia in 2013 by a Russian court to nine years in prison for fraud and tax evasion. Interpol has consistently refused to accept arrest warrants for him, believing the sentence to be predominantly political.

The Magnitsky case had returned to front pages due to the investigations of Donald Trump's campaign for president of the USA and the allegations it colluded with Russia. One of the biggest revelations of the investigation has been a 2016 meeting in Trump Tower which included, among others, Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner and a Russian lawyer who had lobbied against the Magnitsky Act.