The trial for the separate piece “Kitchen” analyzes whether, between 2013 and 2015, a clandestine operation was deployed from the Ministry of the Interior to spy on the former PP treasurer, Lui Bárcenas, and steal sensitive documentation for the PP in the midst of the investigation of the Gürtel case.
The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office maintains that reserved funds and police resources were used outside judicial control, which could constitute crimes of embezzlement, malfeasance, disclosure of secrets, and obstruction of justice.
Who are the main accused
On the bench sit former political officials and police commanders:
- Jorge Fernández Díaz: maximum political head of Interior in the investigated period.
- Francisco Martínez: considered the operational coordinator from the top of the Ministry.
- Eugenio Pino: police chief of the device.
- José Manuel Villarejo: key piece in the execution of the espionage.
- Enrique García Castaño: linked to the technical and resource management.
How the Kitchen worked
According to the instruction, the operation was articulated through the capture of Bárcenas' closest environment. The axis was his driver, Sergio Ríos, who would have acted as a confidant in exchange for payments with reserved funds.
The police officer Andrés Gómez Gordo would have acted as an intermediary between the police structure and the informant, facilitating the flow of information.
What role did Rajoy's government play?
The events are situated during the Executive presided over by Mariano Rajoy. Although the criminal focus centers on those responsible for Interior, the case has a political dimension when analyzing if action was taken to protect interests of the party in the Government.
The legal keys at stake
The court must determine if the facts constitute offenses of embezzlement of public funds, malfeasance, disclosure of secrets, and obstruction of Justice. The underlying issue is if state structures were used for partisan purposes and outside the law.
One of the most relevant evidentiary elements are the messages and annotations attributed to Francisco Martínez, which would reflect the monitoring of the operation from the top of Interior. Also gaining relevance are the recordings of Villarejo himself, whose activity has given rise to multiple judicial cases.
Chronology of the Kitchen case
- 2013: Start of the alleged operation to spy on Bárcenas after the Gürtel case erupted.
- 2013-2015: Development of Operation Kitchen, with the recruitment of the driver as an informant.
- 2018: The existence of the operation comes to light within the framework of investigations into Villarejo.
- 2020-2021: Charges against high-ranking political and police officials; progress of the instruction in the Audiencia Nacional.
- 2023-2025: Closure of the instruction phase and opening of oral trial.
- 2026: Start of the trial with the main accused in the dock.
What is being decided in the National Court
Beyond individual responsibilities, the trial addresses a structural issue: the limits on the use of secret funds and the control mechanisms over the State security forces. It also tests the capacity of the judicial system to clarify eventual abuses of power in the highest instances.
The development of the sessions will allow contrasting the versions of the accused with the documentary and testimonial evidence, in a process that can mark a relevant precedent in accountability within the structures of the State.
map of relationships of the kitchen plot
Political Core (Interior)
- Jorge Fernández Díaz → Maximum political head of the Ministry
- Francisco Martínez → Operational coordination from the top
Police Structure
- Eugenio Pino → Police direction of the operation
- José Manuel Villarejo → Execution and information gathering
- Enrique García Castaño → Technical support and resource management
Recruitment Network
- Andrés Gómez Gordo → Link between police and informant
- Sergio Ríos → Infiltrated informant
Target
- Luis Bárcenas → Person spied on
- Rosalía Iglesias (Bárcenas's wife) → Affected environment
Political Context
- Mariano Rajoy → Government under which the events unfold
Sentences requested: up to 15 years in prison for the Interior leadership
The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office requests sentences of up to 15 years in prison for the main defendants in the Kitchen case, considering proven the existence of a parapolice operation financed with reserved funds.
The biggest requests affect former minister Jorge Fernández Díaz, his number two Francisco Martínez, former DAO Eugenio Pino, and commissioner José Manuel Villarejo, for whom 15 years in prison are requested for crimes such as embezzlement, prevarication, and revelation of secrets.
In a second tier, the Prosecutor's Office requests 11 years in prison for commissioner Enrique García Castaño, while it proposes 6 years for police officer Andrés Gómez Gordo and 5 years for former driver Sergio Ríos, considered an informant in the operation.
The penalties, in any case, may be modulated depending on the degree of involvement determined by the court and the eventual concurrence of mitigating circumstances.