That no one in the Government knew that Pere Aragonès was being spied on is “little possible but not at all probable”, high State Security sources explain to this newspaper, who come up with unofficial versions about an action by the CNI not known by the Executive.
The mobile of president of the Generalitat was assaulted with Pegasus on an unclarified date in 2020 and with the prior permission of the Supreme Court judge who watches over the secret service, paul lukeas it transpired this Thursday from the secret appearance of the director of the CNI, Peace Stephen, in Congress. “Neither the agents nor the structure of the center are autonomous. They act under an instruction and report to political power”explain these sources.
And the political power to which the National Intelligence Center reports the most is the Ministry of Defense. The procedure and frequency of these reports are established – not regulated – internally with an operating rhythm that dates back to times of Federico Trillo (PP, 2002) at the head of the ministry.
Daily contact and weekly dispatch
“Center-ministry communication is daily and multilevel”they relate, alluding to the fact that the information on what the secret service does, and also the reports distilled from its investigations, circulate from the CNI to political power in various echelons of the leadership.
In the Ministry of Defense, the second echelon is occupied by a top-level intelligence officer, the Secretary of State for Defense, hope casteleiro, who before his time in this position had responsibilities in the CNI. He is currently part of the “multilevel” chain of information.
CNI sources -not official spokespersons- also confirm that the director meets with the minister Margarita Robles once a week. Other sources from the state security apparatus corroborate this and clarify that on some occasion, “if there is a trip”, a week is allowed to pass without an appointment, but that is exceptional. In that meeting, an agenda of “active questions” and the main lines of research are reviewed. Listening to the then vice-president of the Generalitat “is not a minor line”, they explain.
Visit to the King
There is also another periodic office of the director of the CNI with the King. In times of the emeritus John Charles Ithey ended up setting the appointment once a month, especially the visits of the generals Emilio Alonso Manglano and Felix Sanz Roldan, with whom the monarch had and has a close relationship. The unofficial voices of the CNI explain that the monthly periodicity “is customary” and that it is not regulated.
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Other sources close to the center inform Pilar Santos that with Felipe VI this same periodicity continuesincreased to two a month if something of great importance happens and with appointments canceled during the summer holidays if there is nothing pressing.
Neither Defense nor the CNI have wanted to comment on these extremes. The offices of the director of the CNI with Minister Robles are not reflected in the public agenda of the Minister of Defense. Yes, her institutional visits to the center are collected. The last one, on February 11.