The National Court in Madrid resumed hearings in the Kitchen case, which concerns alleged illegal surveillance of former Partido Popular treasurer Luis Bárcenas between 2013 and 2015. Two basic defendants were due to testify during this phase: Andrés Gómez Gordo, a police inspector and former adviser to María Dolores de Cospedal’s government in Castilla-La Mancha, and Sergio Ríos, Bárcenas’ former driver.
Judge Teresa Palacios presided over a trial examining alleged conduct by senior Interior Ministry officials during Mariano Rajoy’s first term as prime minister. Proceedings had been under way since April. By the time of these hearings, former Interior Minister Jorge Fernández Díaz and four other defendants had already testified, while five more, including Gómez Gordo and Ríos, were still due to appear. The evidentiary phase later concluded, and the case was reported ready for judgment in July 2026.
Gómez Gordo served as Director General of Documentation and Analysis in Castilla-La Mancha under Cospedal, then secretary general of the Partido Popular, before joining the National Police’s Deputy Operational Directorate. Prosecutors allege that he played a central role in monitoring Bárcenas’ driver, whom they say the operation’s organizers recruited as an informant. They are seeking a 15-year prison sentence for Gómez Gordo, alleging that he oversaw Ríos and paid him with state funds reserved for confidential operations.
Ríos was also expected to testify during the hearing session. The investigation says he received up to €54,000 from reserved funds in exchange for his cooperation. He later joined the National Police after passing a competitive examination, but was suspended from duty and pay. Prosecutors are seeking a 12-and-a-half-year prison sentence and have asked the court to annul his police appointment, alleging it may have been a reward for his role. These are prosecution allegations; the court will determine individual criminal liability.
The alleged operation is described as having been organized from the Interior Ministry to obtain sensitive documents from Bárcenas that could implicate the Partido Popular. Reports say it involved police personnel and informants, as well as public resources, rather than a conventional judicial investigation. That has made the case a test of the boundary between policing and covert political protection. The operation has also been linked to the so-called “patriotic police” and former commissioner José Manuel Villarejo, who said after his final statement in court: “The truth will come to light.”
Spain’s government and the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party have publicly argued that Rajoy knew of and gave instructions for the operation, citing recordings and witness testimony they consider relevant. Those claims are political assertions, not a judicial finding of guilt. A government minister also warned against “convictions without evidence and based only on hypotheses,” drawing a distinction between political accusation and proof in court.
The Kitchen case reaches beyond the individual charges because it concerns whether police structures and reserved funds, public resources intended for confidential operations, were used to protect partisan interests. The court’s judgment will determine the defendants’ individual responsibility. The case has also sharpened questions about democratic accountability and oversight of state institutions, particularly where police powers and confidential public spending are involved.
The National Court, or Audiencia Nacional, is a court of national jurisdiction that hears major criminal cases, including those involving terrorism and corruption. The Kitchen proceedings have drawn scrutiny of senior Interior Ministry officials and police figures, alongside alleged intermediaries, amid wider debate in Spain about transparency and the relationship between political parties and state institutions.
