Producer of 'Sálvame', Paparazzi Gustavo González and a Police Officer Charged for Spying on 182 Celebrities

A Madrid court has concluded its investigation into the espionage of dozens of celebrities involving the production company La Fábrica de la Tele, responsible for 'Sálvame', one of Telecinco's flagship programmes for 14 years. The proceedings, initiated in 2018, have led to a recent ruling by Judge Marcelino Sexmero proposing to try paparazzi Gustavo González; David Valldeperas, former director of the defunct programme; police officer Ángel Jesús Fernández Hita; the aforementioned production company La Fábrica de la Tele as a legal entity; and five other individuals, including another officer, for the alleged commission of a breach of privacy and, in the case of the police officer, also bribery.

In a 14-page order, the judge concluded that Fernández Hita accessed confidential data of at least 182 individuals: among them, artists like Isabel Pantoja, Kiko Rivera, Francisco González, Omar Montes, or Àlex Casademunt; public figures such as Belén Esteban, Ángel Garó, Aída Nízar, Yvonne Reyes, or Aramís Fuster; athletes like Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Miguel Torres, and Alfredo Di Stefano; or contestants from shows like Big Brother. The magistrate has also proposed to hold Mediaset accountable as a subsidiary civil party.

It was the National Police's Internal Affairs Unit (UAI) that informed the court that Sálvame was broadcasting confidential data collected in police reports live. Initial inquiries led to Ángel Jesús Fernández Hita, an officer assigned to the Mobile Brigade of the Madrid Citizen Security Police Station, who is now retired. According to the summary, from 2009 to 2018, he exploited his position to access police databases and obtain reserved information about celebrities, such as criminal records, license plate numbers, or home addresses, which he then provided to television programme collaborators with whom he had a prior friendship.

According to the order, Fernández Hita provided this data to paparazzi Gustavo González and journalist Mila Ximénez, who passed away in 2021. The judge insists that the "contact" between González and the police officer was "weekly"; and adds that the Sálvame collaborator requested sensitive information about the privacy of even minors and paid for some meals in restaurants near Mediaset's headquarters (Telecinco).

The judge considers that the programme's management "promoted the search for personal and intimate reserved information" and was the one choosing the "information to use". Furthermore, the magistrate points out that Gustavo González offered this "illegally obtained information to the magazines Cuore and Rumore, which were unaware of the source's origin", in exchange for personal enrichment. The monthly salaries paid by Sálvame to its collaborator ranged from 4,000 to 18,000 euros.

The defence of La Fábrica de la Tele has asserted during the investigation phase that "no director or editor of the 'Sálvame' programme has ever had any relationship with the investigated police officer" and that, if criminal indications are found, the responsibility lies with Gustavo González and officer Fernández Hita, and they are protected by the right to freedom of information.

However, the judge does not share this view and believes there are grounds to try the production company and its former director for continuous breaches of privacy, punishable by up to three years in prison and a fine. Regarding David Valldeperas, he concludes that from the intercepted conversations with Gustavo González "it can be inferred" that he was aware of the programme's source's nature.

The investigating judge, however, dismisses the case against Alberto Díaz, former programme director, and some former Sálvame employees for "not clearly establishing that they knew the origin of the obtained information". The process also does not continue against Óscar Cornejo and Adrián Madrid, who were charged as directors and owners of La Fábrica de la Tele, which was fully acquired by Mediaset.