Acting Catalan Interior minister, Joaquim Forn, currently held in preventive detention without bail, has testified for almost two hours today to judge Pablo Llarena of Spain's Supreme Court. Although he did not renounce Catalan independence as an objective, he did say that the only possible path to achieve it would be through a reform to the Spanish Constitution.
He also said that if the new Catalan government pursues independence unilaterally, "which will not happen", he said, he will give up his seat. This is the same statement made earlier by Jordi Sànchez, number two on Junts per Catalunya's electoral list.
Forn explained that, as a minister of the Catalan government, he had a clear political mandate: the unilateral declaration of independence. But he also explained that "that doesn't mean I put the Mossos [Catalan police] at the service of this project". He added that even if he had tried to do so, the force wouldn't have obeyed.
Forn said in his testimony that the Mossos carried out their role as judicial police and that the 1st October operation was designed by the police, not by political officials. The police put themselves at the service of the Civil Guard, the Spanish National Police Corps, Diego Pérez de los Cobos (technical director of the whole police operation designated by the Spanish Interior ministry) and the High Court of Justice of Catalonia.
He also said during his appearance something reported at the time by El Nacional (in Catalan): there were four planned coordination meetings for the 1st October with the other police forces. At the first, the Mossos found themselves alone, after which they were told that the others were cancelled.
Forn appeared with his lawyer, Daniel Pérez-Esqué, and also Cristóbal Martell, who is directing his defence and who for the first time today attended the Supreme Court.
Martell will this afternoon finish his filing of arguments for Forn's release on bail and, if possible, will deliver it to the Court today. Jordi Pina, Jordi Sànchez's lawyer, plans to do the same. Jordi Cuixart's lawyer, Marina Roig, meanwhile, will present her arguments next week.
Judge Pablo Llarena will decide whether to keep them in prison or release them on bail after he receives their filings. Forn and Sànchez are under more pressure, because the vote on the formation of the new Parliament's Board is next week and the investiture debate for the new president will take place at the latest ten days after that. As such their lawyers are hoping to present their filings today if possible.