It will soon be 100 days since Catalangate, the largest case of espionage ever known in Europe, was first mentioned in the media. According to the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, it directly affected 65 pro-independence supporters. Uncovered last April by Citizen Lab, in collaboration with The New Yorker the case had a huge impact, since among the names mentioned were three Catalan presidents —Pere Aragonès, Quim Torra and Artur Mas— as well as several ministers, politicians, activists, computer scientists, businessmen, journalists and many others.
Three months later, the large-scale espionage case using the Israeli software Pegasus, which gave the public goose pimples, has practically disappeared from the political agenda. The Spanish government brought down the curtains on it a few weeks later, with the resignation of Paz Esteban, director of the National Intelligence Center (CNI), an evidently low profile position, considering what was at stake: no more no less than the credibility of Pedro Sánchez's government. Calls for the resignation of Margarita Robles, Spanish minister of Defence, or for setting up a parliamentary inquiry committee fell on deaf ears. The PSOE did not need allies in Congress, as the Popular Party, Vox and the remains from the wreck of Ciudadanos would be sufficient to block any initiative seeking to clarify what had happened.
Nothing was done politically, and there have been no significant judicial developments to enabling us to trust that there will be an initiative that will uncover something. Rather, it might be that the Spanish government has woven an imperceptible net which, if no there are no new developments at the international level, will cause the espionage case to peter out. That is why Citizen Lab must publish sooner rather than later news on its ongoing investigation since, being a private organization, it is not subject to the scrutiny of any government. It is known that after disclosing a first list of names, it is still working on it, and it is only a matter of time before we hear from it again.
Meanwhile, as is the case for so many other instances, the only news about this case comes from Europe. Last Monday we learned that the association of European jurists, European Democratic Lawyers, denounced the Pegasus espionage case on pro-independence politicians and, in particular, they regretted that among those spied on there are seven lawyers: Gonzalo Boye, Josep Costa, Jaume Alonso-Cuevillas, Andreu Van den Eynde, Joaquim Jubert, Josep Rius and Jordi Domingo. The association considered these facts particularly serious and demanded clear explanations from those responsible in those cases for which a court order was issued, and to investigate thoroughly when espionage took place without any control.
What is of concern is that in Spain, there is no democratic culture leading to a reaction against those responsible for this illegal espionage. On the contrary, there is a closing of ranks that saves and protects those who have acted against the pro-independence movement. Now, through Villarejo's recordings, we are finding out how the Spanish state behaves, which should make all feel ashamed. Villarejo was not unconnected to the Spanish state, for many years he was a servant commissioned to do the dirty jobs others did not want.