Woman with 20 petty crime convictions jailed in Andorra after 5-year absence

A woman in her fifties with a long history of petty crimes has been imprisoned in Andorra since Friday afternoon after returning from Spain, unaware of an outstanding warrant for her arrest dating back to 2021.

The former Andorran resident, who had been living rough on the streets of Málaga in recent years, was detained upon re-entering the country. Authorities had issued an order for her search, arrest, and imprisonment after she left Andorra around 2020, following which she was tried in absentia—or *in rebel·lia*. Sources indicate she believed any pending matters had prescribed or that short sentences from her past cases would be covered by the six-month pardon recently granted by Andorra's coprinces. However, that grace measure does not apply to individuals judged in absentia.

Her criminal record includes around 20 short stints in La Comella prison, stemming from repeated offences. These ranged from burning a baby with a cigarette to involvement in a domestic incident on Carrer de l'Alzinaret in Andorra la Vella, where a dog jumped from a balcony onto the street below. She also clashed with prison staff on multiple occasions, including an incident where she arrived intoxicated, resisted restraint, and later accused officers of mistreatment—leading to an investigation involving several prison workers. Her alcohol addiction reportedly underpinned many of these episodes.

Before settling in Málaga, she had lived as something of a drifter, including time in Lleida. The reasons for her return after more than five years away remain unclear, though she apparently did not anticipate immediate incarceration.