The former head of Internal Affairs separates himself from 'Kitchen' and insists that he did not participate in the "monitoring" of Bárcenas

He sends a series of documents to confirm his words and criticizes that the investigators "have hidden" them

MADRID, 22 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The former head of the Internal Affairs Unit (UAI) Marcelino Martín Blas has disassociated himself from the 'Kitchen operation' and has insisted to the National Court judge in charge of his investigation that neither he nor his department "participated in any operation or follow-up". the ex-treasurer of the Popular Party Luis Bárcenas.

In a letter from last Wednesday, to which Europa Press has had access, the defense of Martín Blas, one of the defendants, sends the head of the Central Investigating Court Number 6, Manuel García Castellón, the memory of the activities of the UAI between 2012 and 2014, the years in which he "directed said unit". Likewise, he attached the 2013 activity report of the surveillance section of the UAI itself.

Regarding the first document, the representation of Martín Blas maintains that in "those exhaustive reports in which the unit's annual activity was collected, no allusion is made to operations related to Bárcenas and its surroundings, but to investigations against any of the co-accused for committing alleged criminal conduct".

Regarding the second file, signed by the then head of the surveillance section, Jesús Vicente, he assures that from his reading "it is completely clear" that, as both the chief inspector and Martín Blas himself have repeatedly stated, "said section never did any follow-up on the mentioned Mr. Bárcenas or his entourage".

In this context, the lawyer for Martín Blas argues that "it is striking that the police investigators of this piece Kitchen have concealed the previous extremes, which without a doubt they should be perfectly aware of both as members of the Internal Affairs Unit".

"It is also strange to this defense that the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office has not responded for years to the requests made by this defense to hold a meeting or to comment on the existence of the documentation referred to here, as is proven by the also attached writings," criticism.

It should be remembered that the magistrate ended the investigation of this separate piece of 'Tandem' in July 2021. It was on April 20 when the Criminal Chamber of the National Court ratified the judge's decision to end the investigation by rejecting all requests, including that of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor, for the instructor to deepen the investigations.