ERC, Bildu and BNG register in Congress their investigation commission on Pegasus, accepted by PSOE

They ask for "reparation measures" for those affected and "investigate actions of State institutions against dissent"

Esquerra (ERC) has registered this Thursday in Congress, with the signature of Bildu and BNG, its investigation commission into espionage with the Pegasus program, whose creation was accepted by the PSOE in exchange for the independentists helping them take over the majority in the Congress Board.

Last August, when Congress was formed, the PSOE sealed agreements with ERC and Junts to, among other measures, allow the use of co-official languages, provide deputies to be able to form a parliamentary group despite not achieving the requirements established in the Regulation, and create investigation commissions on the jihadist attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils in August 2017 and on the espionage of Catalan politicians and the so-called 'Operation Catalonia' to discredit the independence movement.

In exchange, these parties would vote for Francina Armengol as president and thus give the PSOE and Sumar control of the Lower House Table.

Of these conditions, only the investigative commissions remained to be met and Junts went ahead last Friday by registering, together with the PNV, those related to the Islamist attacks and the Catalonia operation that is attributed to the Government of Mariano Rajoy.

And now ERC, in the company of Bildu and the BNG, presents its own to clarify responsibilities for "espionage and interference with privacy and intimacy, through the Pegasus and Candiru malware, to political leaders, activists, lawyers, journalists, institutions and their family and friends".

The explanatory statement includes information indicating that in recent years, which also affects the governments of Pedro Sánchez, spies have been carried out on the president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, and his predecessors Quim Torra, Carles Puigdemont and Artur Mas; to the former presidents of the Parliament Roger Torrent and Laura Borràs; to leaders of political parties such as Arnaldo Otegi (Bildu), Marta Rovira (ERC), Jordi Sánchez (Junts) or Anna Gabriel (CUP); and lawyers such as Andreu Van den Eynde or Gonzalo Boye, among other independence activists.

According to the proposal, to which Europa Press has had access, within six months the commission must "know in detail the involvement of State institutions in the alleged illegal interferences, know the alleged responsibility and the misuse of the structures techniques in all the ministerial departments and the link of said structures with espionage, and know in detail all the actions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in relation to the investigations carried out in a supposedly illegal manner, without being sub judice, of the delegations of the Generalitat abroad".

It is also necessary to "know the contracts, costs and contracting processes for the alleged development and/or purchase of the Pegasus software or other tools used for espionage by official bodies, and investigate all those initiatives carried out by the institutions of the State, in order to persecute political dissidence.

Finally, they demand "reparation measures for all those affected by illegal investigations, as well as the assumption of responsibilities arising from the misuse of government structures", as well as "proposing appropriate control, investigation and prevention measures to "shield democracy from the abuses of state force."

JUNTS WANTS TO DEMONSTRATE THE 'LAWFARE' AND EXPAND THE AMNESTY

The investigative commissions that Junts registered are now ready to be debated in the Plenary Session of Congress, as they have already been qualified by the Congressional board, and the ERC commission will receive the approval next week. All that remains is to set a date to debate and vote on them in the Plenary Session of Congress.

In the agreement signed by PSOE and Junts for the investiture of Pedro Sánchez, there is talk of taking advantage of the new promised investigation commissions to deepen the amnesty for pro-independence supporters prosecuted over the last ten years. Those of Carles Puigdemont want what Congress decides to serve to demonstrate the alleged 'lawfare' or 'judicial war' and thus review other causes that affect coreligionists.

Precisely that mention of 'lawfare' in the agreement between the PSOE and Junts stirred up the main judicial associations and the General Council of the Judiciary, who interpreted that Congress was going to supervise the actions of the courts.