Spain's National High Court has discontinued a secret investigation into the alleged malign influence of Russia in the actions of supporters of Catalonia's independence, the elDiario.es online newspaper reported on Monday
MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2021) Spain's National High Court has discontinued a secret investigation into the alleged malign influence of Russia in the actions of supporters of Catalonia's independence, the elDiario.es online newspaper reported on Monday.
The probe was launched in November 2019 following a police report that warned of alleged Russian interference in the referendum. The case was sent to the archive in July 2020, but the fact became known only now.
The case of the alleged presence of Russian spies in Catalonia ahead of the October 1 referendum on the region's independence in 2017 was closed due to the absence of "minimal evidence of a crime," the newspaper reported, citing the court's verdict.
The court decided to discontinue the investigation, taking into account the position of the prosecutor's office that reproached the police for only presenting media reports and testimonies from one informant. Deputy Prosecutor-General Miguel Angel Carballo was against the probe and asked the court to close the case.
In November 2019, Spain's El Pais newspaper published three materials on its front page on alleged malign influence of Russia in Catalonia citing sources and referencing older publications, while giving no concrete evidence of such interference. The newspaper reported, among other things, that Spain's High Court was looking into alleged activity of a separatist group in Catalonia linked to the Russian intelligence services, but the probe has been kept secret. El Pais then mentioned Russian media and the New York Times as sources.
Moscow has repeatedly denied allegations of meddling in other countries' internal affairs, pointing to the lack of proof. It also declared support for the territorial integrity of Spain, calling the Catalan crisis Spain's internal affair.
