Controversy over police information
Gonzalo Boye, the lawyer for the director of the office of the president of Catalonia, has argued that the information contained in the report of the General Information Commission attributed to Josep Lluís Alay is completely erroneous. In statements shared with ElNacional.cat, Boye demanded that the Spanish authorities clarify the origin of their allegations.
Details of the judicial report
The report, requested by Judge Joaquín Aguirre in Barcelona, mentions that an image from 2019 that included a scheme with codes implicating people such as Evgeny Primakov and Oleg Syromolotov was obtained from a phone confiscated from Alay. According to the police, these notes suggest that the Catalan independence movement has an advanced plan supported by Russia.
Data and accusations
The police have established in their documentation that these notes indicate a strategy aimed at achieving independence for Catalonia unilaterally, without prior agreements with the Spanish Government or the European Union.
Parallel investigations
The report, dated June 9, was submitted just before Judge Aguirre decided to send the evidence on the alleged interference to the Supreme Court, where 13 people, including prominent political figures such as Artur Mas and Carles Puigdemont, are implicated in serious crimes such as treason or embezzlement.
Errors in the accusations
Boye has pointed out critical flaws in the report. In one of the identifications, Yevgeny Primakov Jr. is confused with the former Russian foreign minister of the same name, who died in 2015. Such errors raise serious doubts about the veracity of the investigation carried out under the direction of Fernando Grande-Marlaska.
Alay’s activities in Russia
The lawyer also mentioned that his client has legally certified his trips to Russia during 2019 and 2020, which, in his opinion, have been subject to persecution and surveillance since his appointment in 2018. In various interviews, Alay has detailed his contact with Russian media and his work as a historian.
Connections with Russian characters
The report mentions several Russian figures with whom Alay and Víctor Terradellas would have had contact. However, there is no mention that Alay worked on the translation of Vavilova’s book, adding another layer of complexity to accusations about his connection to the alleged Russian plot.
Final thoughts
The glaring errors in the report and the lack of substantial evidence suggest that the investigation into Russian interference may be based on inadequate grounds, raising questions about its validity and the direction of inquiries related to the independence movement in Catalonia.
