In the ongoing Operación Kitchen trial at Spain's National Court, retired inspector Jesús Vicente Galán contradicted prior statements, claiming orders from commissioner Marcelino Martín-Blas to secretly 'protect' Luis Bárcenas' wife, Rosalía Iglesias. Inspector Gonzalo Fraga wrapped up his 12-hour testimony detailing José Manuel Villarejo's push for compromising recordings of Mariano Rajoy. This follows Monday's evidence recap on espionage against the Bárcenas family.
Continuing coverage of the Operación Kitchen trial—see prior articles for the trial's start and Monday's testimony by Inspector Fraga—the National Court heard new developments Tuesday.
Retired chief inspector Jesús Vicente Galán, initially charged but later cleared, testified that Marcelino Martín-Blas, former Internal Affairs head under Mariano Rajoy, ordered him to monitor Rosalía Iglesias when Bárcenas entered prison. "Marcelino told me Rosalía Iglesias was in danger and we had to give her protection without being detected," Galán said, reversing his earlier denials. His subordinates were surprised, and the surveillance lasted one to two weeks until they spotted other police. This aligns with prior testimony on up to 70 agents from the Special Surveillance Area monitoring the Bárcenas family around the clock for months.
Fraga, building on his Monday testimony, detailed over 12 hours total how Villarejo tasked Bárcenas' driver, Sergio Ríos, with obtaining "compromising recordings" of Rajoy and Javier Arenas. Quoting a recording: "That type of conversations on that pendrive... It's something that somehow has to be found, mate." Fraga also linked top officials like Eugenio Pino and Francisco Martínez to efforts blocking PP slush fund info from the Gürtel probe.
Defenses questioned witness credibility, while Ignacio Cosidó's testimony was postponed to Wednesday.
