Four Police Officers Admit to Unauthorized Surveillance of Bárcenas' Wife
Four National Police officers have admitted in the 'Kitchen' case trial to conducting unauthorized surveillance on Rosalía Iglesias, the wife of former People's Party (PP) treasurer Luis Bárcenas, in 2013. The officers testified that they followed Iglesias without informing the investigating judge, Pablo Ruz, thereby confirming the operation lacked judicial oversight. Chief Inspector Gonzalo Fraga highlighted that the espionage aimed to steal compromising material from senior PP officials rather than supporting the ongoing Gürtel case investigation as initially claimed by superiors. One officer stated that Commissioner Enrique García Castaño ordered the surveillance, citing instructions from Deputy Operational Director Eugenio Pino. Although the operation was justified at the time as an effort to locate hidden assets, testimonies reveal its true political motive. These admissions support the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's thesis that the police engaged in illegal activities to protect political interests, marking a significant development in the trial concerning state-sponsored espionage within Spain's highest political circles.
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Four Police Officers Admit to Unauthorized Surveillance of Bárcenas' Wife
Four National Police officers have admitted in the 'Kitchen' case trial to conducting unauthorized surveillance on Rosalía Iglesias, the wife of former People's Party (PP) treasurer Luis Bárcenas, in 2013. The officers testified that they followed Iglesias without informing the investigating judge, Pablo Ruz, thereby confirming the operation lacked judicial oversight. Chief Inspector Gonzalo Fraga highlighted that the espionage aimed to steal compromising material from senior PP officials rather than supporting the ongoing Gürtel case investigation as initially claimed by superiors. One officer stated that Commissioner Enrique García Castaño ordered the surveillance, citing instructions from Deputy Operational Director Eugenio Pino. Although the operation was justified at the time as an effort to locate hidden assets, testimonies reveal its true political motive. These admissions support the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's thesis that the police engaged in illegal activities to protect political interests, marking a significant development in the trial concerning state-sponsored espionage within Spain's highest political circles.
elpais