The Special Acquisitions Branch constituted a leading data-location service within the Library of the Republic and also stood as one of the four primary intelligence organizations of the Galactic Republic in the Republic's twilight years. Leading up to and during the Clone Wars, the agency was compromised by corruption and abuse from senatorial powers. To address this, the director of the Branch convened secretly with the heads of the three other significant intelligence agencies; together they decided to consolidate their respective agencies into a unified body. Following the establishment of the Empire, this newly formed intelligence agency came to be known as Imperial Intelligence, operating under the leadership of Armand Isard, previously the director of the SBI.