La Abogacía del Estado afirma que Kitchen buscaba proteger a Rajoy y quitarle a Bárcenas "papeles que le comprometían"

The trial surrounding the Operation Kitchen has reached its final stages after more than 30 sessions since it began on April 6. The case centers around a covert operation conducted between 2013 and 2014 by high-ranking officials within Spain’s Ministry of the Interior and National Police under the leadership of former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. According to prosecutors, this operation was designed to spy on Luis Bárcenas, the former treasurer of the Popular Party (PP), with the aim of acquiring sensitive documents and information that could compromise senior party members, particularly Rajoy himself. This initiative emerged during a period when the PP was facing intense scrutiny over the Gürtel corruption scandal, which threatened to expose widespread financial misconduct involving top political figures.

In his closing argument, prosecutor César de Rivas emphasized that Operation Kitchen constituted a “parapolitical criminal operation,” orchestrated by the leadership of the Ministry of the Interior and the National Police. He stated that the operation aimed to gather evidence and steal documents that might still be held by high-ranking PP officials, including Rajoy, who was then under investigation due to the Gürtel case. De Rivas specifically highlighted the involvement of Jorge Fernández Díaz, the former interior minister and close ally of Rajoy, whom he accused of playing a central role in planning, coordinating, and overseeing the illegal operation. Prosecutors have requested a prison sentence of 15 years for Fernández Díaz, citing his active participation in the scheme.

The State Attorney's Office, which joined forces with the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, further reinforced these claims in its closing statement. It argued that Fernández Díaz had full knowledge of the operation’s evolution and objectives, including its intent to undermine the Gürtel investigation. The State Attorney described the operation as “manifestly illegal” and aimed at protecting Rajoy by removing incriminating materials from Bárcenas. According to their findings, the operation was not merely about investigating Bárcenas’s finances but rather focused on obtaining recordings and documents that could damage the reputation and legal standing of high-profile PP leaders.

The State Attorney also pointed out that the operation was driven by concerns raised by the PP and the government led by Rajoy regarding Bárcenas’s potential possession of compromising evidence against them. These concerns intensified in late 2012 following revelations by El País about the PP’s parallel accounting system and subsequent judicial disclosures by Bárcenas, who was suspected of having recordings that could implicate Rajoy and other PP officials. The State Attorney stressed that the primary objective of Operation Kitchen was to locate and destroy such evidence, with Fernández Díaz being directly implicated in orchestrating the effort.

In addition to targeting Bárcenas, the operation allegedly involved pressuring law enforcement personnel to alter their investigative roles in the Gürtel case. Specifically, the State Attorney highlighted the pressure exerted on Inspector Manuel Morocho, who was tasked with investigating the PP’s financial affairs. According to the State Attorney, Morocho faced significant environmental, professional, and contextual pressures from his superiors, all aimed at influencing his work in the Gürtel investigation. Morocho himself testified in multiple trials about the pressure he experienced from higher-ups, including Eugenio Pino, to soften his stance against the PP and modify his reports accordingly.

As the trial moves toward its conclusion, the focus remains on determining the extent of Fernández Díaz’s involvement and whether the operation indeed served the purpose of shielding Rajoy and other PP leaders from legal repercussions. With both the prosecution and the State Attorney presenting compelling arguments, the coming days will likely see the court weighing these claims before delivering a verdict that could significantly impact the ongoing political landscape in Spain.