In 2012, the former commissioner José Manuel Villarejo threatened the then number two of the Interior, Francisco Martínez, with evidence of the involvement of the leadership of the Ministry in the so-called ‘Operation Catalonia’: the preparation of police reports with compromising information of Catalan political leaders, even if it were false.
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The policeman was angry because Interior gave instructions to suspend – “put in the fridge” – for three months that operation, for which he had also advanced money from his own pocket as payment to the businessman Javier de la Rosa, in charge of presenting the complaints against Catalan politicians and against Jordi Pujol Ferrusola, eldest son of the former president.
The recordings, released today by the newspaper The country Y Informed Sources, are included in a report sent by the Internal Affairs Unit of the Police to Judge Manuel García Castellón. This is a long conversation held on November 29, 2012 between the corrupt police officer and the Chief of the Interior Cabinet at the Tomate bar, near the Ministry.
Villarejo wanted ‘Operation Catalonia’ to go ahead, against the criteria of the then Minister of the Interior, Jorge Fernández Díaz, who wanted to suspend it. This is the transcript of the conversation when the corrupt police officer receives the news of the suspension of the operation from the mouth of Francisco Martínez:
Villarejo: “I tell you what I have done. I have met tonight with a notary friend of mine, and this morning I have deposited evidence for the notarial deed, in case I am arrested in any circumstance or something happens to me, it is deposited”.
Martinez: “What kind of evidence?”
Villarejo: “Well, they show that you were all in on this move.”
Finally, that same day, Martínez gave Villarejo the green light to continue, but warned him that there was a problem with the money to pay De la Rosa, the businessman who had to report the corruption.
Villarejo assures that he has advanced that money and reassures Martínez about the payments: “What does being paid or not paid have to do with putting information in the fridge for three months…”, says Villarejo. The number two of Interior states later: “If you are not worried about pasta, go ahead, as we talked.”
Villarejo: “What does getting paid or not getting paid have to do with putting information in the fridge for three months…”
Martínez: “Forget the fridge. Forget”.
Villarejo: “That is the key. Putting information in the fridge for three months is the key to everything”.
Martinez: “Look at me. And what do you want me to say?”
Villarejo: “That you were wrong when you told me about the three months in the fridge?”
Martinez: “Yes, yes.”
(…)
Martínez: “My only concern right now is…”
Villarejo: “It’s pasta.”
Martínez: “If you’re not worried about pasta, go ahead, as we discussed.”
Villarejo: “Maria Dolores told me [de Cospedal]: ”How much pasta have you put in?“. [Y yo le dije]: ”I wanted to put in about 100 tomorrow, plus another 40 or 50, 150“. And she says: ”Don’t worry, I guarantee you the pasta“ .
(…)
Martinez: “Will you let me talk? There is no problem with prosecuting it as soon as possible. There is no problem. And if you have thrown yourself into war…”
Villarejo: “No, no, no. I have not gone to war, sorry. […] I can eat with a prosecutor and a judge, because I eat regularly. I’m going to have dinner. So, what I do or don’t do tonight at dinner, therefore, will depend on whether the complaint is admitted or not, and if there is no problem. And there I will consider that everything is going from fucking mother ”.
Once the former commissioner knows that the operation is going ahead, he reassures Martínez about the possible dissemination of the involvement of the Interior leadership in the plot:
Villarejo: “No one, no one, no one can relate you or the minister to this. Therefore, you have to be absolutely calm. […] I’m the only one who can stand…”
Next, Villarejo recreates an alleged conversation between him and the then general secretary of the PP, María Dolores de Cospedal, due to the lack of funds from the Interior to reimburse the former commissioner for the alleged payments advanced by him to the informant De la Rosa:
Villarejo: “I would like to be paid but, come on, that is not a priority issue right now. By the way, María Dolores told me [de Cospedal]: ”What have they told you, that they have no money? What shamelessness. I’ll talk to Jorgito [Fernández Díaz, ministro del Interior]“. When she uses small terms it is because she is upset. When she says: “Jorgito, Jorgito, I’ll talk to Jorgito.” Another gift I give you to tell ‘number one’. What shamelessness. So they have told you that there is no money in the Interior? Fuck”.
Martínez: “He doesn’t know, he doesn’t know…”
Villarejo: “How come you don’t know? Excuse me, an operation of this magnitude and the minister hasn’t prepared any dough and doesn’t talk to whoever the hell it takes so that I don’t have to go through the embarrassment of asking my people to prepare 100,000 euros for me?
Although it has not been proven whether De la Rosa actually received funds from the Interior in exchange for denouncing former president Pujol and his successor, Artur Mas, the recordings also include a conversation on that same November 29 between Rafael Redondo, Villarejo’s lawyer and partner, De la Rosa himself and the former commissioner:
Rafael Redondo: “How many envelopes do you want, 10 or 15?”
De la Rosa: “Well, I think there were 12 or something like that.”
Villarejo: “No, no. Make a list of things and call Isabel, have her come and take the money to another office. And she let her put it and distribute it in the envelopes and she’s done”.
(…)
De la Rosa: “No, if they are not closed amounts. But hey, I have to do it like this, I have to pay the doctors.”
Villarejo: “Aim, aim. Sign up, Rafa.
De la Rosa: “One with 36,000.”
Villarejo: “Excuse me? 36,000 an envelope”.
De la Rosa: “Another with 20,000.”
Villarejo: “Fuck, man, what expensive doctors do you have!”
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