Judge indicts the Catalan Socialist Party’s CFO for the ‘Método 3’ political espionage case

Barcelona (ACN).- The judge who is investigating the major political espionage case in Catalonia, known as the ‘Método 3’ case, indicted on Friday the Catalan Socialist Party’s CFO, Lluïsa Bruguer. The Spanish Police arrived at the party’s headquarters, took her computer and documents away, and informed her she was officially indicted by the judge. Following this, the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) stated in a press conference they had not hired Método 3 to spy on anyone and that their only relation with the company was linked to personal security issues. In February, the offices of the private detective company Método 3 in Barcelona were searched by the Spanish Police, who brought to court many documents and computers in order to start a thorough investigation on political espionage in Catalonia. The case is affecting the Catalan People’s Party (PP), the Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Coalition (CiU) and the PSC. The judicial investigation is still ongoing, but much of the information – most of the time contradictory – has been leaked in the past few months. In fact, the case has brought suspicion on all of them to spy on each other and even on some of their own party members. However, the PSC is the first one to have one of its members indicted.

A private conversation recorded at a Barcelona restaurant

The political espionage case’s main centre is the recording of a private conversation at a Barcelona restaurant (La Camarga) between the leader of the PP, Alícia Sánchez-Camacho, and the former girlfriend of the oldest son of CiU’s historical leader, Jordi Pujol. A few weeks ago Sanchez-Camacho reached an agreement with Método 3, under which she will withdraw the complaint against the spying agency on the condition that she received €80,000 from the company and the conversation’s contents were not to be made public. The contents of the conversation are banned by the judge from being published, although some of them have been leaked by some media. Who is behind the recording is still a mystery, but some voices have pointed towards the PP, the CiU or the PSC.

Police search the PSC headquarters

On Friday morning, the Spanish Police broke up into the headquarters of the PSC, which is part of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) to which is federated. They seized the computer and documents of the party’s CFO, Lluïsa Bruguer, after communicating she had been indicted by the judge. This means she is suspicious of having allegedly committed a felony and she has the right to defend herself in front of the judge assisted by her layers, however she has not formally been accused. The judge suspects she might be behind the recording of Sánchez-Camacho’s private conversation at La Camarga restaurant. Based on this declaration and the investigation, the judge will then decide if she is formally accused or not, and if she is brought to trial.

The PSC denies it hired Método 3 to record Sánchez-Camacho’s conversation

The Organisation Secretary of the PSC, Esteve Terrades, denied the party had hired Método 3 to record Sánchez-Camacho’s conversation at La Camarga restaurant. Terrades emphasised that the PSC’s “only relation” with this company is regarding “personal security” issues. In addition, he stated the party will offer “full cooperation” with the judicial investigation in order to clarify the situation.