Two former agents of the National Security Council (CSN), Ronny Rodríguez and William Pittí, turned themselves in to the judicial authorities on Thursday, March 26. They had lived like shadows for nearly 10 years, but that changed this week as they now face legal proceedings. Between 2012 and 2014, from a restricted floor in Ancón, they executed a sophisticated surveillance operation targeting numerous 'individuals.' Over 150 people were victims, including opposition politicians, journalists, magistrates, union leaders, businesspeople, and members of civil society. Their private communications were intercepted, transcribed, and delivered in daily reports to serve the interests of the ruling power. The government of Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014) wanted to know what people were saying, who they were talking to, and what they were planning. Agent Jaime Agrazal described it with precision in his statement to the Public Ministry: 'Didier' decided who to follow, monitor, and watch. Rodríguez, the highest-ranking among them, was the alleged political liaison. Each morning, he would receive a list of new 'targets' and distribute them among the analysts. Pittí, in turn, was the one who made the equipment work, according to the testimonies gathered. He received specialized training on systems purchased from Israeli companies, including technology associated with Pegasus and equipment from the firm MLM, capable of penetrating mobile devices even when they were turned off. On the night of the election, after Juan Carlos Varela won on May 4, 2014, and the Martinelli government entered its final days, 'Didier' and 'Guillermo' reportedly put a plan into action. At 7:30 p.m., a week after the election, the two agents disconnected three computers from the server, removed the cabling, packed them in boxes, and loaded them into a white van. They chose that time to pass unnoticed. Before leaving, they destroyed the printer used to produce the daily reports that reached the Presidency of the Republic. The surveillance equipment, valued at $13.4 million, was never found. For the disappearance of the equipment, Rodríguez and Pittí face charges of alleged embezzlement. For the interceptions, they are accused of the alleged violation of the secrecy of communications and the right to privacy.
