Graham Keeley, Jorge Otaola and Jorge Keeley

BARCELONA, Reuters – According to court documents seen by Reuters Saturday, an Argentine judge has charged a former Spanish minister with four counts each of homicide.

Maria Servini de Cuba (Buenos Aires) issued the following ruling against Rodolfo Villa, 87; Rodolfo Martin Ville was Interior Minister between 1976-1979.

The judge wrote that she considered Martin Villa “the prima facie perpetrator criminally responsible for the crime of aggravated homicide, repeated on at least four occasions, of which Pedro María Martínez Ocio, Romualdo Barroso Chaparro, Francisco Aznar Clemente and Germán Rodríguez Saíz were victims”.

Martin Villa said to Spanish newspaper ABC, “I’m calm. “I’ll appeal.”

Spain passed an amnesty bill in 1977, which pardoned the crimes of Franco’s dictatorship.

Hundreds upon hundreds of Spanish citizens have attempted to circumvent this problem by going to an Argentine court under the principle universal justice to deal with crimes against their loved ones during General Francisco Franco’s 36-year-old right-wing dictatorship.

Judge Servini stated that Martin Villa played an important role in the dictatorship’s repressive structures, which continued for many years after Franco’s passing in 1975.

“It is great news for the victims, who have been claiming for many years,” said Máximo Castex, a lawyer for the relatives of the victims.

Martin Villa lives in Madrid and was detained by the judge. However, it is unlikely that this will happen.

Fernando Goldaracena’s ex-ministerial lawyer did not respond to our requests for comment.