17-A and Pegasus Inquiries Abandoned Amid Early Election
The upcoming general election, called by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on 5 October 2026 for 29 November, has abruptly ended parliamentary work on two major investigative commissions: one into the 17 August 2017 attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils, and another into state surveillance operations against Catalan independence figures, including the use of Pegasus spyware. These commissions were key conditions in the 2023 investiture agreement that allowed Sánchez to remain in office, supported by Junts per Catalunya and other parties. Despite years of testimony and declassified documentation, neither commission will now publish final conclusions in the official parliamentary record.
17-A Inquiry Reaches Dead End
The commission on the 17-A attacks had nearly completed its final report, which pointed to serious failures in coordination between Spanish security forces and highlighted a documented relationship between attacker ringleader Abdelbaki es-Satty and the National Intelligence Centre (CNI). According to evidence gathered, es-Satty was allegedly recruited as an informant while imprisoned, enabling him to remain in Spain despite an expulsion order. The draft conclusions also questioned whether es-Satty’s death had been definitively proven and called for renewed judicial inquiries. Parties including Junts and ERC had demanded legal reforms, including changes to Spain’s Official Secrets Act and greater protections for victims. But disagreements between parties, particularly the PSOE’s reluctance to criticise state security agencies, delayed final approval. A vote scheduled before summer recess in July 2026 was postponed to September. It was then delayed again, and ultimately abandoned when the election was called. With parliamentary sessions now dissolved, the report will not proceed to plenary debate.
Operation Catalonia Probe Cut Short
The commission on 'Operation Catalunya', investigating alleged state-led espionage using Pegasus and Candiru software against pro-independence figures, was even more severely disrupted. Work effectively halted in September 2025, as the investigation began to touch on actions during Pedro Sánchez’s government. Although opposition parties like Junts and EH Bildu pushed to continue, the PSOE blocked further sessions, joining PP and Vox in stalling the process. The commission had already collected substantial evidence, some of which has since surfaced in judicial cases, including the 'Leire' investigation at Spain’s National Court and proceedings in Andorra linked to the so-called 'Andorran network'. Josep Pagès, a Junts MP and leading figure in the inquiry, repeatedly called for the work to resume, but no further sessions were held in the year leading up to the election announcement.
Political Fallout and Lost Momentum
The early election, triggered by the failure of emergency housing decrees in late September 2026, has effectively erased the momentum behind both investigations. The PSOE, aware of potential criticism of its record on security and civil liberties, avoided finalising reports that could have led to political or legal consequences. Without formal conclusions, the findings remain unofficial and will not be published in the Congressional Official Record. This also undermines a separate request by Catalonia’s Mossos d'Esquadra police to reopen parts of the 17-A investigation based on the commission’s findings. As parliamentary sessions close ahead of the 29 November vote, both inquiries are now suspended indefinitely, their final reports left unwritten.
Reported by elmon.cat, elpais.com, ROCÍO GIL GRANDE, El Món.
