Overview
- The tribunal declared the trial 'visto para sentencia' on Tuesday, ending roughly 37 sessions that began in early April and heard more than 100 witnesses.
- Prosecutors relied on José Manuel Villarejo's agendas and recorded conversations plus witness testimony to argue the 2013 operation targeted Luis Bárcenas to seize compromising material and obstruct Gürtel investigators.
- Anticorrupción has asked for multi‑year prison terms, including about 19 years for Villarejo and roughly 15 years for several senior former Interior officials, while family and party accusations ask for civil damages.
- In their closing remarks defendants disputed criminal intent: Villarejo downplayed the notes and audios and the chauffeur Sergio Ríos said he believed the actions were lawful and had cooperated with officers in good faith.
- The State Legal Service requested not to be held civilly liable and the court set no deadline for the sentence, leaving magistrates to weigh evidence on improper use of Interior powers and political responsibility within the broader Gürtel inquiry.