“Little Nicólas” refuses to make a statement during court appearance

Francisco Nicolás Gómez Iglesias – better known as “Little Nicolás,” the 20-year-old university student whose apparent remarkable ability to worm his way into Spain’s political elite has stunned the nation – has refused to provide a statement to the Madrid court investigating him for charges of fraud, falsifying documents and usurpation of public office. His lawyer, Victor Sunkel, justified the refusal on the grounds that they had not access to all the documentation necessary.

Little Nicolás told reporters that he felt “relaxed” as he arrived on foot and smiling at court just before 9am on Friday. His appearance began at 10.50am and lasted barely five minutes.

Little Nicolás told reporters that he felt “relaxed” as he arrived at the courts on foot and smiling

Gómez Iglesias was arrested by Internal Affairs officers on October 14 accused of posing as a member of Spain’s National Intelligence Service (CNI) and after allegedly defrauding a businessman who gave him €25,000, police said following his detention.

The Spanish media subsequently had a field day as it emerged that Gómez Iglesias had also been keeping up a high-flying lifestyle and fostering top-level connections, publishing photographs showing him shaking hands with King Felipe after attending his coronation, as well as with senior members of the ruling Popular Party, among them former prime minister José María Aznar.

On Tuesday presiding judge Arturo Zamarriego took a statement from the businessman Gómez Iglesias had supposedly cheated, who said that he only met the youngster in connection with an operation related to the sale of a property and that he did not report him, nor had plans to do so, because he did not feel that he had been the victim of fraud – Little Nicolás would be giving back the money he owed him.

Gómez Iglesias is also facing a further case open against him relating to a slanderous allegations complaint filed by the Solicitor General’s Office on December 3 on behalf of the CNI, and after the youngster had made several statements to the media in which he claimed to have worked for Spanish intelligence.