The director of the CNI, Spain's intelligence agency, Félix Sanz Roldán, has admitted that they saw "many long faces" the day after last year's Catalan independence referendum and they had the feeling they could "have done better". He was speaking during a dinner discussion at the 16th Coca-Cola Journalism Conference.
On the other hand, in terms of the work carried out by the intelligence service before and during the 1st October last year in Catalonia, Sanz Roldán indicated that he asked the Spanish government if the information they provided "had been useful for them, and the response was yes".
On the possible links between the force and former police commissioner José Villarejo, he said all he could do was deny "that he has had any relationship with the CNI". "I won't answer anything [linked to Villarejo]", he said, "because anything I say could have an importance I don't want to give it".