After Julian Assange was granted asylum and entered the Ecuadorian embassy in London, new CCTV cameras were installed and security personnel working for UC Global and Promsecurity recorded his daily activities and interactions with staff and visitors, including his legal team.
On 7 August 2019, Spain's High Court opened proceedings inquiring about the surveillance of Assange after he filed a complaint that accused UC Global of violating his privacy and client-attorney privileges as well as committing misappropriation, bribery and money laundering.
According to court papers seen by the Associated Press, it was alleged that Morales had passed the recordings to Zohar Lahav, described by Assange's lawyers as a security officer at Las Vegas Sands.
New CCTV cameras were installed in the embassy soon after Assange moved in, and security personnel recorded his activities and interactions with staff, his legal team and other visitors in minute detail.
WikiLeaks said that "material including video, audio, copies of private legal documents and a medical report" had surfaced in Spain and that unnamed individuals in Madrid had made an extortion attempt and threatened to make the information public unless they were paid €3 million.
According to the report UC Global's owner David Morales had provided the CIA with audio and video of meetings Assange held with his lawyers and colleagues.
The investigation was precipitated by a complaint by Assange that accused UC Global of violating his privacy and client-attorney privileges as well as committing misappropriation, bribery and money laundering.
In January, three employees testified that Morales ordered the surveillance of Assange, and that all of his visitors have their passports photographed, their cellphones and iPads disassembled and the contents downloaded and reports written about their meetings.
According to court papers seen by the Associated Press, it was alleged that Morales had passed the recordings to Zohar Lahav, described by Assange's lawyers as a security officer at Las Vegas Sands.
[14][15][16][17] Morales was arrested on 17 September on charges involving violations of privacy and client-attorney privileges, as well as misappropriation, bribery, money laundering and criminal possession of weapons.
[13][26] According to his lawyer, Assange testified that he was unaware that cameras installed by UC Global were also capturing audio and suggested the surveillance likely targeted his legal team.
The witnesses said that UC Global got a contract with the Las Vegas Sands, which allegedly led Morales to say they were "playing in the big league" and had switched to "the dark side."
"[29] On 25 September, Spanish Judge José de la Mata sent British authorities a European Investigation Order (EIO) asking for permission to question Assange by videoconference as a witness in the case against Morales.
De la Mata responded to UKCA's objections on 14 October by stating that Assange was the victim who had filed the complaint and that unlawful disclosure of secrets and bribery are also crimes in the UK.
[32] In November 2022, Judge Santiago Pedraz of Spain's National High Court filed a judicial assistance request with the US House Intelligence Committee asking for information related to UC Global, surveillance of Assange and CIA's possible involvement.
Pedraz's legal request for information describes the alleged espionage in detail and names several potential victims, including former US congressman Dana Rohrabacher and former-president of Ecuador Rafael Correa.
[35][36][37] El País published a quote from a message sent by David Morales to UC Global staff in which he said "We have been informed of suspicions that [Assange] is working for the Russian intelligence services, thus the profiling of his visitors and aides".
[37][39][40][14] Previous filings by Assange's lawyers in Spanish courts had also named Zohar Lahav and Brian Nagel of Las Vegas Sands and alleged that the surveillance continued under Promsecurity after UC Global's contract ended.
The new material included a folder labelled "CIA", which contained videos of Assange's visitors taken by the hidden cameras and microphones that UC Global installed in the Ecuadorian Embassy.