The resolution by Judge Julia Tortosa of the Barcelona Court of Instance follows the court's acceptance of the lawsuit filed by the victims' association Sentinel Alliance last September. The case investigates alleged crimes of revealing secrets and illegal access to computer systems targeting individuals within the pro-independence sphere.
Those indicted include former Civil Guard Directors General Félix Vicente Azón (2018-2020) and María Gámez (2020-2023), and former CNI Director Paz Esteban. The judge also ordered the formal indictment communication to the founders and directors of NSO Group Technologies Ltd (Shalev Hulio, Yuval Somekh) and Saito Tech Ltd (Candiru), including Eren Shorer and Eitan Achlow.
The identities and confidential information of their business projects –extracted with spy software– were illegally leaked to the media.
The five plaintiffs –Joan Arús, Joan Matamala, Jordi Baylina, Pau Escrich, and Xavier Vives– are entrepreneurs and developers of open-source protocols for digital voting and sovereign digital identity. According to the lawsuit, the espionage targeted them specifically due to their professional profile, with Spanish authorities allegedly claiming that the potential future use of these tools posed a threat to national security.
The investigation documents attacks using Pegasus and Candiru dating back to 2019. One of the most detailed cases involves Elies Campo, head of growth for Telegram Messenger, who was attacked with Candiru before traveling to Catalonia in December 2019. The lawsuit also notes that the devices of his mother, sister, and father were infected with Pegasus on consecutive days, despite none of them being the subject of any judicial investigation.
