Insufficient. The Catalan government has expressed its dissatisfaction this Tuesday with the response by the Spanish executive to Catalangate, the espionage scandal that has affected more than sixty people linked to the independence movement. So far, few explanations and no political dismissal. Only one head has been allowed to roll - that of the director of Spain's National Intelligence Centre (CNI), Paz Esteban, this morning. However, she was not removed over the espionage against the Catalan independence supporters - which the Spanish government continues to back - but for the infections found on the cellphones of members of Pedro Sánchez's executive. This morning, her dismissal was formalized in the weekly Spanish cabinet meeting and she was informed, once the analysis of all the ministers' mobile devices had been completed. For the position of CNI head, a replacement has already been announced: Esperanza Casteleiro, until now the defence minister's right-hand woman.
But the pro-independence groups and Unidas Podemos have warned since the news broke that Esteban's departure is not enough and are also pointing to the minister Margarita Robles, the top political official in charge of Spain's intelligence services. The spokesperson for the Generalitat government, Patrícia Plaja, also said today that the sacrifice of Paz Esteban "does not solve everything" and "does not close the espionage issue". "Anyone who thinks that this has happened is wrong. It is insufficient," she warned. In this line, she warned that the Catalan executive cannot be satisfied with mere gestures such as this dismissal, but that "wise decisions" must be taken at the Spanish government palace.
Plaja went on to spell out what some of these decisions might be. She called on the the Spanish government to give further explanations in order to clarify "who ordered the espionage, who allowed it and who had knowledge of it." Not only that, but she also stressed the need to declassify the relevant documents in order to achieve greater transparency in the case. "Many more explanations and many more actions are needed. Information must be declassified, accountability and transparency," she warned.
Generalitat enters the judicial offensive
On the other hand, the spokesperson also reported that the Generalitat government will appear in a private prosecution in the case being opened in the National Audience against the espionage. Not only that, but it will also do so in the already-open case at the Barcelona investigative court no. 32. "There is situation of opacity and a lack of official information from the Spanish government. There are still questions on the table, and the Catalan government has very little information on this case." That is precisely why the Catalan authorities have considered it "in its interests" to take this step into the courts with the aim of "defending in the best possible way the interests of the Generalitat and its public servants".