The National High Court (AN) faces the fourth week of the trial for 'Operation Kitchen' with the appearances of Guillermo Bárcenas, son of the former PP treasurer; the former vice president of Mariano Rajoy's Government, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, and the PP senator Javier Arenas, a former member of the party's leadership.
For this Monday, the statement of Guillermo is scheduled at the headquarters of the National Court, on Génova street in Madrid, who, along with his parents --Luis Bárcenas and Rosalía Iglesias-- exercises the private prosecution in the case about the alleged parapolice device promoted from the Ministry of the Interior of the Rajoy Government to steal sensitive information from the former treasurer of the 'populares'.
That same day Sáenz de Santamaría is called to testify as a witness, who held the position of 'number two' of the Executive when the espionage against Bárcenas allegedly took place, as well as Arenas himself.
The senator was cited by Bárcenas, who in his testimony explained that he made "a specific and paid assignment" to an inmate he met during his stay at the Madrid prison of Soto del Real to "destroy" material he kept in the cloud linked to the Gürtel case, in addition to a recording with Arenas and another of Rajoy."
Likewise, Bárcenas told the court that he spoke with Arenas about "the off-the-books accounting" of the party and that one of the recordings he intended to delete captured a meeting with the former Popular Party leader in a restaurant in Seville.
On Wednesday, Manuel Morocho, inspector of the Unit of Economic and Fiscal Crimes (UDEF) of the National Police who led the Gürtel investigation, is scheduled to appear. His testimony had been initially set for the previous Monday, but was delayed due to the extension of the statements of Bárcenas and his wife.
Furthermore, between Tuesday and Thursday, the testimony of more than a dozen police officers is expected before the court, in a trial that is expected to last until June 30 and in which the accused will speak last, after the witness testimonies and expert testimonies.
In the case, the former Minister of the Interior Jorge Fernández Díaz, his former Secretary of State for Security Francisco Martínez, the former Deputy Operational Director (DAO) of the National Police Eugenio Pino, and Commissioner Andrés Gómez Gordo are listed as defendants, for whom the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office requests 15 years in prison.
Also sitting on the bench are retired commissioner José Manuel Villarejo, for whom the Public Prosecutor's Office seeks 19 years in prison, and Sergio Ríos, Bárcenas' former driver, for whom 12 years and five months in prison are requested.