Catalunya’s president faces charges for mutiny, perverting the course of justice, power-dealing and misuse of public funds
Saturday, November 22, 2014 @ 8:49 PM
PRESIDENT of Catalunya Artur Mas could face charges for up to four criminal offences based upon the recommendations of the State general prosecution board.
As well as Mas, his deputy president Joana Ortega and the education minister for the region Irene Rigau could also face fines and being struck off if they are charged and found guilty of ‘continual political power-dealing’, ‘serious disobedience against public authorities’, ‘perverting the course of justice’ and ‘misuse of public funds’
The most serious offence is the ‘perverting the course of justice’, which carries a sentence of between six months and a year in jail – although in Spain, where a first offence leads to a prison term of two years or less, the guilty party does not have to serve it unless or until he or she commits another crime.
‘Political power-dealing’ and ‘serious disobedience’ do not carry prison terms, but for the first of these, would mean being struck off and banned from holding public office for between seven and 10 years, and in the second case, between six months and two years.
‘Misuse of public funds’ – an offence applied based upon the regional government’s use of taxpayers’ money to finance the independence referendum campaign – does not mean prison either, but does involve a hefty fine and a ban on holding public office.
Overall, each of them would be sentenced to around a year in prison, six years of suspension from their role and a 12-year ban on running for or holding a position in office.
‘Perverting the course of justice’ in this case means ‘preventing the effecting of a verdict passed by the relevant judicial authorities’, or going ahead with some form of referendum despite the courts having essentially banned it.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com