Former Prime Minister Rajoy appears to be closely involved in an illegal smear campaign against Catalans

Under Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish government has waged an illegal smear campaign against prominent Catalans for years. The Prime Minister was kept personally informed of the progress, as can now be seen through secret documents and audio recordings in newspapers Newspaper in Vanguard I've got their hands on it. The case has been investigated for years, but the emergence of evidence implicating the former prime minister himself could cause major damage to his conservative Popular Party – even though Rajoy himself has now left politics.

Mass demonstrations demanding independence for the Spanish region of Catalonia were a headache for the newly appointed Prime Minister in 2012. The then Interior Minister, Jorge Fernández Díaz, decided that the fight against Catalan leaders would be a priority, and so began a secret investigation into Catalan politicians, businessmen and rivals of the Popular Party.

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Dozens of intelligence reports for this investigation were prepared under the supervision of former police commissioner and private investigator José Manuel Velario – famous for his audio recordings in which King Juan Carlos admitted to receiving bribes. The signatures of the judges, who are supposed to approve such investigations, were missing.

The reports included false information from agents who infiltrated the independence movements. Ministries, including the Ministry of Finance, provided investigations with sensitive information. For example, leaders of the independence movement were wrongly accused of tax fraud, embezzlement of funds, and receiving bribes. A number of them are said to have accounts in tax havens, such as former regional president Artur Mas and former Barcelona mayor Xavier Trias.

Interior Minister Díaz received fabricated warrants from various police units that he could use to target Catalan leaders. Díaz's bodyguard delivered the information in empty, sealed envelopes to La Moncloa Palace, the residence of the Spanish Prime Minister, who received the envelopes in person.

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In 2012, the private investigator met with Defense Minister María Dolores de Cospedal (PP). After each meeting, Villarejo wrote down the names of prominent Catalans to be “investigated” and the amount to be paid for this information.

For example, he investigated Jordi Pujol, the first Catalan regional president since the fall of dictator Franco. Villarejo met his ex-girlfriend, who confirmed to a judge that same year that the family had hidden millions in Andorra, among other places. This case caused a huge impact on the image of the Pujol family. According to his memoirs, Villarejo received 100,000 euros from Cospedal a few weeks after meeting Pujol's ex-lover.