Kitchen trial for the police corruption scheme linked to the PP, live | The inspector of the ‘Gürtel case’ says that Kitchen did not have “judicial authorization” and that he was pressured not to include Rajoy and Cospedal in his reports

Session suspended: the trial will resume tomorrow at 10:00

The president of the court, Teresa Palacios, has agreed to suspend Wednesday’s session and leave the interrogation of the chief inspector of the Gürtel case, Manuel Morocho, unfinished. The witness is expected to continue testifying tomorrow from 10:00 to answer questions from the defense, since on Wednesday only the accusations and the defense of former minister Jorge Fernández Díaz had time to ask questions.

Morocho says he complained to prosecutors and judges of Gürtel about pressures in the Police

Chief inspector Manuel Morocho stated that he filed a written complaint with the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office about the pressures he received from his superiors during the Gürtel case investigation. He also said he verbally expressed his discomfort to the judges in charge of the investigation at the National Court.

The witness made these statements in response to questions from the defense of former minister Jorge Fernández Díaz, one of the main accused in this trial. During this part of the interrogation, Morocho denied having been awarded a decoration in 2013 at an event presided over by the former Interior Minister. He also denied having had conversations or meetings with Fernández Díaz.

Morocho says he was transferred to the DAO to distract him from the Gürtel case: “I didn’t want to go there”

Chief inspector Manuel Morocho highlighted during his testimony that he was transferred to the Operational Deputy Directorate (UCO) of the National Police in 2015 (where he stayed until August 2016) to distract him from the investigation he was leading on the Gürtel case by judicial order.

He pointed out that this transfer decision affected his Gürtel investigation because he had to juggle both matters. “It was known by all that I did not want that transfer. I didn’t want to go there,” he emphasized. Morocho explained that he continued working on the investigations into the PP’s slush fund because the judge had not removed him from the case.

Morocho says Internal Affairs investigated him to pressure him while he was on the Gürtel case

Chief inspector Manuel Morocho stated that he was investigated by the Internal Affairs Unit to pressure him while he was in charge of the Gürtel case. He referred to the fact that he was accused of allegedly leaking police information to Método 3, a detective agency in Catalonia.

The witness denied the accusations against him and emphasized that it was “an additional pressure element to what we already had.” “A totally prospective investigation,” he said, which, he stressed, “led to nothing.”

Morocho insisted that it was one of the strategies implemented to remove him from the case related to the PP’s slush fund. At this point, he again referred to the offer of a position abroad and even a course in the United States.

Morocho highlights the contrast between the resources provided for the ITV case and for Gürtel

Chief inspector Manuel Morocho highlighted this Wednesday the contrast between the resources his superiors in the National Police provided for an investigation related to the ITV case, which involved Oriol Pujol, and those supplied to investigate the Gürtel case, which implicated the PP. According to his account, for the former they provided “all possible resources” so he could act “promptly.” In the case related to the PP, he pointed out, it was “quite the opposite.”

Morocho says former DAO Eugenio Pino did not want to receive a Gürtel report that contained signs of money laundering

Chief inspector Manuel Morocho stated that during the investigation of the Gürtel case, the then operational deputy director (DAO) of the Police, Eugenio Pino (one of the accused in this trial about the Kitchen operation), did not want to receive a report he made about the Bárcenas papers in which he stated there were “indications” of money laundering. The witness now responds to the popular accusation exercised by Podemos.

Morocho recalls a commander told him: “What are you doing here, you should be dead”

Inspector Manuel Morocho recalled, at the request of the popular accusation exercised by the PSOE, the episode in which Commissioner Enrique García Castaño told him: “What are you doing here, you should be dead.” The lead investigator of the Gürtel case had already recounted this interaction with the police commander during the investigation phase of the Kitchen case.

It is worth remembering that García Castaño was one of the main suspects in this case about the parapolice operation to follow the former PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas. However, he is not among the accused in the trial because he was exonerated for health reasons.

The Gürtel inspector: “I did not have the trust I should have had in the senior command”

Chief inspector of the Gürtel case, Manuel Morocho, explained this Wednesday why he distrusted his bosses in the National Police while investigating the PP’s slush fund and the so-called Bárcenas papers. “I did not have the trust I should have had in the senior command. They were not endorsing the work we were doing,” he said. Several of those commanders are now on trial for being part of the parapolice operation carried out to steal sensitive information from the PP’s former treasurer Luis Bárcenas.

The witness insisted that his hierarchical superiors intended for him to breach his “neutrality” when preparing the reports he had to present before the National Court. “I was being told things that I did not see,” he said.

Inspector Morocho says his bosses “delayed” the delivery of reports on the Bárcenas papers

Chief inspector of the Gürtel case, Manuel Morocho, stated that the reports he had to submit to the National Court on the so-called Bárcenas papers “were delayed” because his superiors blocked them. “I sent them by email and they were stalled for weeks,” he said. He lamented that the Gürtel case judge had to issue rulings urging him to submit his official reports promptly.

The Gürtel inspector suspected that “there was going to be an action in Bárcenas’ environment”

Chief inspector of the Gürtel case, Manuel Morocho, stated that he suspected that an “action” was going to be launched against the “environment” of the former PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas. According to his account, one of the police commanders accused in the Kitchen case, Commissioner José Luis Olivera, asked him for the phone number of Rosalía Iglesias, Bárcenas’ wife. In his testimony, he insisted that he chose not to provide that information.

“For me, it was an indicator that they wanted it for something. The scenario was that there was going to be an action in Bárcenas’ environment. And this was one more indicator,” he said, responding to lawyer Gloria de Pascual, who represents the popular accusation exercised by the PSOE. He also declared that, besides asking for Rosalía Iglesias’ phone number, Olivera asked him to send the reports he prepared on the so-called Bárcenas papers to his email. Morocho said he never sent that information to the accused commander.

Morocho reiterates that he was offered a “well-paid” position abroad to remove him from Gürtel

Chief inspector Manuel Morocho reiterated, as he did during the investigation phase, that he was offered a “well-paid” position abroad to remove him from the Gürtel case. According to his account, they asked him: “Which embassy do you want, from Beijing to…?” The witness said he did not accept the proposal and assured that he never provided any information related to the Bárcenas papers outside the usual channels. “I said no because of my commitment to the magistrate, to the investigation, to society… I promised to defend democratic principles,” he added.

The Gürtel inspector insists he was pressured not to include Rajoy and Cospedal in his reports

Chief inspector of the Gürtel case, Manuel Morocho, insisted that he was pressured by his superiors in the Police not to include the names of “public officials” in his reports on the Bárcenas papers. When asked by the popular accusation exercised by the PSOE whether one of those names was that of former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy or former PP Secretary General María Dolores de Cospedal, the witness said “yes.”

Lawyer Gloria de Pascual inquired about “who” gave him this “instruction.” Morocho emphasized that it was a decision made in “collective meetings.”

During his testimony, Morocho reiterated that the Police commanders intended for him to “devalue the content” of his reports within the framework of the Gürtel case and not to include the names of “all those” who appeared as “recipients of funds from the off-the-books accounting” kept by the former PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas. Thus, he confirmed what he had already declared before the investigating judge of the Kitchen case at the National Court.

Session resumes

The testimony of chief inspector of the Gürtel case, Manuel Morocho, continues. The popular accusation exercised by the PSOE will continue the interrogation. So far, Morocho has insisted that Kitchen was a police operation “without judicial authorization” and has hinted that he received pressure from high-ranking Police officers while preparing his reports on the so-called Bárcenas papers, something he already defended during the investigation phase.

20-minute recess: the trial will resume at 12:00

The president of the court, magistrate Teresa Palacios, has agreed to a 20-minute recess to check part of the case documentation. Specifically, whether a piece of evidence proposed by lawyer Gloria de Pascual, who represents the popular accusation exercised by the PSOE in this trial, was admitted or not.

The Gürtel case inspector states that he never conducted surveillance on Bárcenas’ son

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Chief inspector Manuel Morocho stated that neither he nor his team conducted surveillance on Guillermo Bárcenas, son of the former PP treasurer, during the Gürtel case investigation. With this statement, the witness distances himself from the spying on “Willy” carried out within the framework of the Kitchen operation. Bárcenas’ eldest son said in his testimony last Monday that he felt he was being followed and watched near his home.

Morocho says “the entire police command chain” raised “objections” to his reports on the Bárcenas papers

Chief inspector of the Gürtel case stated before the court that “the entire police command chain” did not agree with the reports he presented on the so-called Bárcenas papers. According to his account, his superiors raised “a whole series of objections” and even asked him not to include people with “public office” in his reports.

“Moreover, as the investigation progressed, the correlation we made between the outflow of slush fund money and the payments for the renovation of the political party’s headquarters was called into question,” he pointed out.

When asked by the lawyer representing the Bárcenas family (who exercises the private prosecution) whether he was able to submit his reports “without any interference,” Morocho said “no.” It is worth recalling that in 2021, during the investigation phase of the Kitchen case, Morocho stated that maneuvers were carried out against him to halt the Gürtel investigation.

Morocho says he did not work with Villarejo when he was in charge of the Gürtel case

The interrogation continues; this time by the lawyer representing the Bárcenas family, who exercises the private prosecution in the trial. In response to the lawyer’s questions, chief inspector Manuel Morocho explained before the court that between 2013 and 2015, when he was in charge of the Gürtel case, he had no professional relationship with accused commanders such as Commissioner José Manuel Villarejo. He also denied having worked then with officials like former operational deputy director Eugenio Pino or police officers Bonifacio Díez or José Ángel Fuentes Gago.

Chief inspector of the Gürtel case says he was not informed about the recruitment of Bárcenas’ driver as a confidential informant

Chief inspector of the Gürtel case, Manuel Morocho, stated that he was never informed about the recruitment of Sergio Ríos, the driver of former PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas, as a confidential informant in the Kitchen operation, the alleged parapolice operation activated to conduct surveillance on the popular’s environment with the intention of stealing sensitive party information.

He indicated in response to the prosecutor’s questions that he was also not informed that Bárcenas had tried to contact an inmate at Soto del Real (Madrid) to request a “computer job.” According to the investigation, this would have been to ask him to delete a recording that affected former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

Chief inspector of the Gürtel case, on whether it was necessary to follow Bárcenas’ wife: “No”

Chief inspector Manuel Morocho stated that, while in charge of the investigation of the Gürtel case, he never proposed to the judge to conduct surveillance on Rosalía Iglesias, the wife of former PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas. Thus, he distanced himself from the surveillance ordered within the framework of the Kitchen operation. When asked by the prosecutor whether he considered it necessary to conduct surveillance on Iglesias, Morocho answered firmly: “No.” “I did not motivate the judge to do it either in writing or verbally,” he added.

Chief inspector of the Gürtel case criticizes not being informed in time about the Kitchen operation

Chief inspector Manuel Morocho criticized that the Operational Deputy Directorate (DAO) of the National Police did not inform him about the Kitchen operation when he took over the investigation of the Gürtel case and requested to be alerted about the existence of secret investigations that could affect him. In this regard, he criticized that the appropriate “methodology” was not followed to inform him of the “connection” between his investigation (related to former PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas) and the Kitchen operation (which included surveillance of Bárcenas and his environment). “I made an official request to be informed if there was a secret investigation and I was not notified,” he emphasized.

Chief inspector of the Gürtel case: “I see the word Bárcenas and it was the confirmation of the existence of a Police operation”

“I see the word Bárcenas and it was the confirmation of the existence of a Police operation.” Chief inspector of the Gürtel case, Manuel Morocho, recounted before the court when he became aware of and accessed information related to the Kitchen operation which, he insisted, was not part of the surveillance authorized by the judicial authority.

He assured that the information gathered within the framework of the alleged parapolice operation “did not contribute anything” to the investigation he was leading on the Gürtel case. In this regard, he stressed that Kitchen was “a parallel investigation” that contained data he and his team already handled. “I knew that Bárcenas had operated in Poland (…) There was an extradition operation of funds,” he said.

At this point in the interrogation, the president of the court, Teresa Palacios, at the request of one of the defenses, interrupted to ask the inspector to limit himself to answering the prosecutor’s questions without extending beyond what was strictly necessary.

Chief inspector of the Gürtel case says Kitchen was “a police operation without judicial authorization”

Chief inspector Manuel Morocho, the lead investigator of the Gürtel case (in which nearly a hundred people and the PP itself were convicted), stated that Kitchen was a “police operation without judicial authorization.”

During his testimony as a witness, he denied that his unit requested support from the Operational Deputy Directorate (DAO) of the National Police while he was in charge of investigating the Gürtel case. With this statement, he distances himself from the alleged Kitchen operation carried out to conduct surveillance on former PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas with the intention of stealing sensitive information related to the PP. Morocho insisted that “the DAO does not support or collaborate,” since it is “a central coordination body.”

Morocho begins testimony, the inspector who denounced pressures while investigating Gürtel

It is the turn of Manuel Morocho, chief inspector of the Economic and Financial Crime Unit (UDEF) and lead investigator of the Gürtel case, who denounced pressures from the entire chain of command.

The former head of source recruitment in the Police during Kitchen denies contacts with Bárcenas’ driver

The session began with a National Police officer who, in 2013 during the Kitchen operation, was in the undercover agents unit as head of source recruitment. The witness stated that he never contacted Sergio Ríos, who was the driver of former PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas. Thus, he distanced himself from the recruitment of Ríos as a confidential informant in the alleged parapolice operation that spied on Bárcenas to extract sensitive documentation. “I don’t even know who he is,” he said referring to Ríos.

New session of the trial begins

The session this Wednesday begins at the National Court. The court will hear the key testimony of Manuel Morocho, chief inspector of the Economic and Financial Crime Unit (UDEF) and lead investigator of the Gürtel case, who denounced pressures from the entire chain of command.

The first to testify as a witness is a police officer, proposed by one of the defenses.

The inspector who denounced pressures while investigating Gürtel testifies this Wednesday

The court judging the alleged parapolice operation to spy on former PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas will hear a key testimony today, that of Manuel Morocho, chief inspector of the UDEF and lead investigator of the Gürtel case, who denounced pressures from the entire chain of command.

The National Court seeks to determine whether the top leadership of the Ministry of the Interior of Mariano Rajoy’s first government orchestrated an operation between 2013 and 2015 to obtain documentation in the hands of the former treasurer and prevent “material potentially incriminating for the Popular Party and its leaders” from ending up in the procedure then investigating Gürtel.

Morocho was the lead investigator of the Gürtel case in the Economic and Financial Crime Unit (UDEF) and the Kitchen plot also allegedly pressured him to remove him from that PP corruption case, whose first sentence in 2018 led to the no-confidence motion that ended Rajoy’s government.

This inspector testified during the investigation phase in June 2021 and spoke of pressures “from the entire chain of command,” which led him to take “internal security” measures regarding certain proceedings, such as hiding the “search” at the PP headquarters.

Before the investigating judge, he said he was urged not to put names of “any political leader” in his reports, with specific mention of Rajoy, a point that throughout the Kitchen trial has been denied by several of his superiors, who have also testified as witnesses.

He also stated during the investigation that such pressures began after he included in one of his reports Ignacio López del Hierro, husband of former PP Secretary General María Dolores de Cospedal (both indicted in Kitchen), because he was “a friend of Villarejo,” one of the former commissioners accused in this case. His testimony was key to the indictment of former UDEF chief José Luis Olivera, whom he said tried to remove him by offering him a position in Lisbon during a meeting in which this accused allegedly also received a call from former Interior Minister Jorge Fernández Díaz, also on the bench.

Morocho also explained that he could not trust some police officers and that every time he went to the National Court, the operational deputy director, Eugenio Pino — also indicted in the case — found out, who in 2015 assigned him to his unit where, according to his version, he was overloaded with work while continuing his investigations into the alleged PP slush fund.

The agendas seized from former commissioner José Manuel Villarejo contain notes from those dates referencing “MOROCHO-LISBOA,” alongside the note “CHISCO,” which according to the lead Kitchen investigator is the nickname this commissioner used for former Secretary of State for Security Francisco Martínez, who is also on trial. (Efe)

Good morning. We begin the live narration of the latest updates on the Kitchen case trial for the police corruption plot linked to the PP, this Wednesday, April 29. The court judging the alleged parapolice operation to spy on former PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas will hear a key testimony today, that of Manuel Morocho, chief inspector of the UDEF and lead investigator of the Gürtel case, who denounced pressures from the entire chain of command.

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