Catalan Government talk about political persecution and democratic abnormality

USPA NEWS - The Catalan Government reacted Tuesday to the imputation of its president and two other senior officials, charged with four offenses for organizing a consultation on independence that had been suspended by the Constitutional Court, calling it "political persecution" and "democratic abnormality."

The Catalan Government spokesman said at a press conference that the complaint of President Mas and two of its partners is "political pressure" after the victory in the polls for the independence candidacy and said that will not influence the sovereigntist project by Catalan nationalism. For the regional Government of Catalonia and the party that supports, Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC in its Catalan acronym), Artur Mas imputation is another initiative promoted by the Spanish Government to torpedo the independence process. This explanation was rejected by the Justice Minister Rafael Catala, who recalled that, in the Spanish legal system, the complaint is the figure that allows the accused to appear and defend assisted by counsel.

The Prosecutor filed a criminal complaint against the President of Catalonia and two of his collaborators "by the commission of the crimes of disobedience, usurpation of judicial power (against the separation of powers), trespass and misappropriation of public funds." The lawsuit is a result of "the celebration in Catalonia and in other cities outside the country, from a planned consultation, sponsored and funded by the Government of the Generalitat (Government) of Catalonia."

This consultation "brought together all Spaniards resident in Catalonia over 16 years of age as well as to foreigners, both EU and non-EU residents in the territory of the Autonomous Community that met the requirements previously established residence, to decide by secret written ballot and whether Catalonia should become a state and whether the state should be independent of Spain."

In prosecutors review "no reason also to believe that the participatory process of November 9 was not the realization by other means, the original plan to hold a referendum materially nature consultation also suspended by the Constitutional Court." The complaint details the steps taken by the Catalan Government to holding the referendum on November 9, 2014 and underlines that in addition to Catalonia, "voting points were installed in the cities of Berlin, Paris, Brussels, London and New York, specifically in the Government offices of delegations that the Government of the Generalitat maintains open in those capitals."

"Voting points were also installed in the cities of Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Sydney, Montreal, Mexico City, San Jose (California, USA), Milan, Bogota, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo, Copenhagen and Santiago de Chile, specifically in the headquarters of the Agency for Competitiveness of the Enterprise of the Generalitat of Catalonia (Acció). Polling stations in Andorra and Perpignan are also installed," the prosecutor, accusing the defendants of knowingly violating the decisions of the Constitutional Court, within the dynamics determined by the independence project.

The imputation of Artur Mas adds to the refusal of the CUP, the left-wing party whose ten parliamentarians need the independence to achieve absolute parliamentary majority, to support the investiture of Mas for another term. The CUP also rejects the unilateral declaration of independence because, despite the achieved majority in the regional Parliament, the separatists are a minority in the whole of Catalan society.