ERC has registered this Thursday in Congress, with the signature of Bildu and BNG, its investigation commission into espionage with the Pegasus program on independence leaders between 2015 and 2020, under PP and PSOE governments, whose creation was accepted by the socialists in exchange for the independentistas helping them gain a majority in the Congressional Board. It will be the Plenary Session of the chamber that approves its effective constitution.
The Republicans explain that they are promoting the investigative commission because “no response has yet been given in relation to the assumption and purging of responsibilities” for this case. However, the Government has already relieved in 2022 Paz Esteban as director of the National Intelligence Center, days after she admitted to the CNI control commission that she spied on 18 pro-independence leaders, including the now president Pere Aragonès, always with judicial authorization from the Supreme Court.
Far from there having been no “clearance of responsibilities”, the case is being investigated in several courts and Paz Esteban herself has been summoned by the Court of Instruction number 29 of Barcelona to testify on December 13.
Last August, when Congress was formed, the PSOE sealed agreements with ERC and Junts to, among other measures, allow the use of co-official languages, provide deputies to be able to form a parliamentary group despite not achieving the requirements established in the Regulation, and create investigation commissions on the jihadist attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils in August 2017 and on the espionage of Catalan politicians and the so-called ‘Operation Catalonia’ to discredit the independence movement.
In exchange, these parties would vote for Francina Armengol as president and thus would give the PSOE and Sumar control of the Lower House Table.