The Council of Ministers has informed the investigating court number 32 in Barcelona that the CNI tracked the communications of the two former MPs of the Parliament of Catalonia following the Supreme Court's ruling against the independence leaders. This previously classified information has been made public in response to one of the judicial investigations into the use of the Pegasus software.
Fernández and Riera had filed a complaint after Pegasus software was detected on their devices, as revealed by reports from the Citizen Lab laboratory. The CNI justified the interception due to alleged "activities contrary to national security," asserting that it was carried out legally and with the permission of the competent judge.
The spying on David Fernández lasted approximately a year and a half, between late 2019 and June 2020, a period after the sentencing of the 'procés' leaders. Despite having left institutional politics, Fernández maintained ties with the independence movement and the mobilizations arising from the ruling. It is noteworthy that Fernández was not on the initial list of 18 spied individuals provided by the former CNI director, Paz Esteban, although Riera was included.
Carles Riera's phone was monitored between June 2020 and May 2022, partially coinciding with his term as an MP in the Parliament. In the same report, the Government denies having investigated former MP Albert Botran, even though Citizen Lab also detected traces of Pegasus on his mobile.
The declassification of information allows the current director of the CNI, Esperanza Casteleiro, to detail the "nature" of the activities that prompted the spying. However, "express concealment" has been opted for regarding fragments of judicial orders that might reveal the CNI's "activities, means, procedures, and sources of information."
This case adds to the dozen open investigations related to the use of Pegasus, with varying judicial paths in the courts of Barcelona.
