Catalan Leader Faces Abuse of Power Claims

The accusactions against the Catalan leader, Artur Mas comes just days after secessionists won control of the state parliament.

Mas faces possible charges of disobedience, abuse of power and embezzlement of public funds over last November’s ballot, held in defiance of the country’s constitutional court, and central government in Madrid.

More than 2 million people took part in the 2014 referendum – 40% of those invited to cast their ballots – with more than 80% of them voting in favour of a split from Spain. A record-breaking number of Catalans cast their vote in Sunday’s election, billed as a de facto referendum on independence.

Mas has been ordered to appear in court on 15 October. If prosecutors push forward with the charges, Mas faces a ban from holding public office of up to 10 years and up to one year in jail.

Catalonia’s former vice-president, Joana Ortega, and the regional education minister, Irene Rigau, have also been summoned for questioning.

On Tuesday, Mas’s government lamented what it said was a political trial. “We are faced with a political lawsuit, the political orchestration of a case brought by the state prosecution service,” said Neus Munté, spokeswoman for Mas’s government, The Guardian reported on Tuesday.

Last year’s symbolic referendum came after Spain’s constitutional court halted several attempts by Catalan leaders to hold a vote on independence. The legal challenges were lodged by the central government in Madrid, who argued Spain’s constitution does not allow regions to unilaterally make decisions that affect all Spaniards

Mas pushed forward, styling the vote as a symbolic ballot, aiming to skirt the law by staffing the poll with volunteers and having voters register on the spot.

The central government asked prosecutors to see if any crime had been committed. Although various judges backed away from what they saw as the use of the judiciary for political ends, formal charges were laid last November. The court’s announcement comes as Mas and his Junts pel Sí party celebrate a victory in Sunday’s regional elections.

While secessionists in Catalonia said the election results gave them the mandate they needed to begin breaking away from the state, the Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, vowed to defend the unity of Spain, arguing that that only a minority of Catalans backed the secessionists in the election.

On Tuesday, opposition politicians took aim at the court’s announcement, calling it politically motivated and arguing it would only deepen the rift between Madrid and Barcelona. “It’s an error because it won’t facilitate the necessary climate to solve this territorial conflict,” said Assumpta Escarp, of Catalonia’s Socialist party.

Oriol Junqueras, the leader of the Catalan Republican Left, who partnered with Mas to form Junts pel Sí, said the court order was another reason why Catalonia should separate from Spain. “As long as we are part of the Spanish state, issues that would be quite normal in any other country in the world, such as asking citizens their opinion, become lawsuits, charges and court hearings,” he said in a radio interview.

Mas’s Democratic Convergence party pointed to the date set for his court appearance, noting that 15 October will mark 75 years since the execution of the Catalan president Lluís Companys in Barcelona, by one of General Franco’s firing squads. “Summoning him on 15 October is either an act of provocation or one of extreme stupidity,” said party official Josep Rull.

Spain’s justice minister, Rafael Catalá, hit back, arguing that the court had been careful to keep politics and justice separate. The court’s order had been delayed until after the regional elections, he said, in an attempt to ensure it would not interfere with the ballot in any way. “His summoning does not imply any presumption of guilt,” Catalá told reporters.