The beginning of the investigation
The investigating judge 1 of Barcelona, Joaquín Aguirre, has decided to charge former commissioner José Manuel Villarejo after private detective Francisco Marco filed a complaint. Marco seeks to prove that his arrest and the search of his agency, Method 3, in 2013, were part of Operation Catalunya. Aguirre initially refused to investigate this alleged illegal detention, but Marco presented an appeal that was accepted by the Barcelona Court. Now, the judge will carry out the investigation, focusing only on the Method 3 registration and not on the possible link with the Catalunya operation, since this case was archived by the National Court.
Those involved in the investigation
According to reports from La Vanguardia and El Nacional, Aguirre has summoned the former commissioner of the National Police, Antonio Giménez Ras, and detective Julián Peribáñez, who worked alongside Villarejo, to testify. These statements are scheduled for next September.
The facts and accusations
The reported events occurred more than a decade ago, when the Method 3 agency was ordered to be searched in the framework of an investigation related to the recording of a meeting between Alicia Sánchez Camacho, former leader of the PP in Catalonia, and Victoria Álvarez, former partner of Jordi Pujol Ferrusola. The director of the agency, who was detained for a few hours during the search, accuses Villarejo of being behind this movement and of having taken more documentation. However, Marco’s complaint against Villarejo was archived in July 2022 by the National Court.
The Catalunya operation
Operation Catalunya refers to an alleged organization that operated since 2012 and involved members of the Police, Mariano Rajoy’s government and the Popular Party. According to reports, this organization would have hatched a plan against the Catalan independence movement with the help of journalists and the media. Although there are several pieces related to Operation Catalunya in the central courts of Madrid, some complaints and complaints have been dismissed.
the present and the future
In February of last year, Francisco Marco relaunched the Method 3 detective agency as a business and judicial intelligence consultancy. The company was integrated into the Marco & Co group after Marco was exonerated in an alleged case of political espionage. Although the reported events occurred some time ago, the current investigation seeks to clarify the details and determine the corresponding responsibilities.