The trial concerning the alleged parapolice plot to spy on former PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas delves this Thursday —in its 20th session— into the messages that former Interior Minister Jorge Fernández Díaz allegedly sent to former Secretary of State Francisco Martínez during Operation Kitchen. These are SMS messages that Martínez registered before a notary, which would prove that the former minister was aware of the espionage, but which Fernández Díaz himself denies. The court will hear, at the request of the defense of the former head of the Interior, an expert who drafted a report stating that the messages in question could have been manipulated.
The SMS messages that will be central to this session referred to Bárcenas’ former driver, Sergio Ríos, who was allegedly recruited by Commissioner José Manuel Villarejo as a supposed informant for the plot. The debate over the authenticity of the messages led to a confrontation full of recriminations between Fernández Díaz and Martínez during the investigation phase. The former minister vehemently denied knowing about the operation, rejected the veracity of the SMS messages saved by his subordinate, and reiterated that he never contacted him by phone to discuss the informant recruited by the plot. The former Secretary of State, for his part, maintained the exact opposite. Fernández Díaz insisted that “the messages are manipulated” and Martínez directly reproached him: “Are you accusing me of committing a crime?”
After the expert’s testimony, the trial is expected to enter the phase of presenting documentary evidence, which will likely extend over several days, as it includes the reproduction of the seven statements that ―during the investigation― were made as an investigated party by the former head of the Central Operational Support Unit (UCAO) of the Police, Enrique García Castaño, known as El Gordo, who was exonerated from this trial due to his health condition after confessing and providing documents to reach the top echelons of the Interior Ministry. The defenses are preparing to attack the commissioner’s testimony, whose shadow has been present throughout the entire trial.
