Spain: Police arrest woman posing as UN women's representative

A woman was arrested in Spain on Thursday after she was posing as the president of the Spanish branch of the United Nations' agency on women.

According to a report she deceived several media outlets through impersonation and allegedly asked for funds while offering online legal courses.

The woman is a Spanish national of Nigerian origin and was arrested in Spain's Denia city.

An official statement by police said that the woman "took part in conferences and media interviews claiming to be the president of UN Women in Spain." 

Several major Spanish media outlets had presented or cited her as the president of UN Women in Spain.

According to the webpage of New York-based UN Women, there is no representative of the organisation in Spain.

The body is "dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women" and it is currently headed by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, a former deputy president of South Africa.

Police said they launched their investigation in 2018 after receiving a complaint about the woman from UN Women, which is "dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women."

On her personal webpage, the woman presented herself as a detective or financial consultant.

She founded a party in Spain in 2014 called "Union de Todos", or "Union of All", and stood as a candidate for the group in several recent general elections.

(With inputs from agencies)