It appears that Farina has been working for the Sismi since 1999. He had a major role in promoting Pollari's candidacy to the head position of the Sismi in 2001. Pollari was the candidate of the ex-president of the Republic, Francesco Cossiga. Renato acted as his PR agent and ghostwriter, persuading Silvio Berlusconi and the Minister of Defense, Antonio Martino, to nominate Pollari.
The American government was reportedly not happy with the decision.
Renato Farina has also confessed his role in the initial creating of the Telekom Serbia scandal, a scandal designed to accuse major opposition leaders, Prodi, Fassino and Dini, of receiving kickbacks from Milosovic for the sale of Telekom Serbia during the partial suspension of the embargo against Serbia in the late nineties. Renato Farina at the time was an agent in Serbia where he reportedly risked his life.
Farina was also behind the Quattrocchi scoop. Quattrocchi was brutally murdered by Iraqi insurgents. However Al Jazeera refused to divulge or hand over to Italian authorities the video of his execution. Farina managed to recruit the head of the foreign desk at Al Jazeera, Imad El Atrache, an old friend of his, who was known then after as "Cedro (Cedar)." It was supposedly because of this name that referred to the Cedars of Lebanon, that Renato Farina acquired his codename "Betulla" (Birch-tree).
It was thanks to the key contribution of Imad El Atrache that several Italian hostages in Iraq were liberated, the "two Simonas" and Giuliana Sgrena. At the time la Repubblica alone insisted that a ransom had been paid in Qatar. La Repubblica's charges were unanimously dismissed by the full spectrum of the press and the government.
The clandestine center discovered in Via Nazionale was entirely under the control of Nicolò Pollari through his trusted man, Pio Pompa. Farina relates that Pollari described Pompa as his eyes and ears and was constantly kept abreast of developments. Farina declares that he met Pollari twice there.
Farina has also indicated that he not only spied on the Milan PMs in the Abu Omar case but also in the wire-tapping case.
He also admitted doing a favour for Pollari by persuading his contacts in other newspapers to not publish the name of Filippo Troja, a PR man of the Guardia di Finanza, involved in the Parmalat scandal with Callsito Tanzi. It was la Repubblica that revealed the role of Troja in that world-wide scandal that destroyed the savings of tens of thousands of families throughout the world, much like the Enron scandal.
...Just to be paranoid, maybe too busy? Any possibility Mr.Super-Reporter-Spy is throwing in some stuff he didn't do, to better cover-up for the guys who did?
In an accompanying article not available on the net, there's an interview with Imad El Atrache. He denies the charges of being an agent and confirms that he has known Renato since 1987.
He does confirm having received payment for the video of Quattrocchi but for normal costs, not because he was an agent.
It appears strange that the Quattrocchi video was of interest to the Sismi. A detailed description of the video immediately turned up in an article in the Corriere by the "superb" Magdi Allam and was immediately the subject of an article by Michael Ledeen. (It's available on the net.)
It has remained a mystery until now how Allam had gotten his hands on the scoop especially after what he wrote about the murder of Quattrocchi was verified recently.
Quattrocchi received postumously a medal of valour. The award was controversial as Quattrocchi is perceived as an American mercenary.
