A Barcelona court has confirmed the indictment of 29 Catalan government officials accused of participating in the preparations for the referendum of 1st October, 2017, without augmenting the charges as the public prosecutors requested, and has ordered the defendants to be summoned again for new statements to the court.
In a ruling today, Section 21a of the Barcelona Audience court rejected appeals made against the earlier ruling by investigating court number 13, and therefore has moved ahead to confirm the charges against 29 Catalan government officials and businesspeople for the crimes of misuse of public funds, disobedience, abuse of office and document falsification.
The court also ratifies the closing of inquiries into 19 other people who were accused, and rejects the prosecution request to prosecute three more people: the director of the Catalan Data Protection Authority, Maria Àngels Barbarà; the former director general of Dissemination of the Catalan government, Ignasi Genovès and the director of services of the department of Presidency, Teresa Prohias.
The 29 prosecuted
The vast majority of those sent to trial held positions in the administration of the Catalan government at the time of the 2017 referendum, held by the Catalan government in defiance of Mariano Rajoy's Spanish administration. Those indicted include Antoni Molons, secretary of broadcasting and citizen assistance at the Catalan presidency department; Joaquim Nin, secretary general at the Catalan presidency department; Josep Ginesta, secretary general at the Catalan work, social affairs and family ministry; Aleix Villatoro, secretary general at the international actions, institutional relations and transparency ministry; Amadeu Altafaj, director of the Catalan government's delegation to the European Union; Albert Royo, secretary general of the Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia (Diplocat).
The top public broadcasting officials sent to trial are Núria Llorach, vice-president of the Catalan Audiovisual Media Corporation (CCMA); Vicent Sanchis, director of Catalan television station TV3, and Saül Gordillo, director of Catalunya Ràdio.
The full list of the 29 defendants, charged with different combinations of four different offences (misuse of public funds, disobedience, abuse of office and document falsification) is:
Antoni Molons Garcia, charged with misuse of public funds and abuse of office.
Joaquim Nin Borredà, charged with misuse of public funds, disobedience and abuse of office.
Jaume Clotet Planas, charged with misuse of public funds.
Josep Ginesta Vicente, charged with misuse of public funds.
David Palanques Bonavia, charged with misuse of public funds.
David Franco Sánchez, charged with misuse of public funds.
Francesc Sutrías Grau, charged with misuse of public funds and disobedience.
Aleix Villatoro Oliver, charged with misuse of public funds, disobedience and abuse of office.
Amadeu Altafaj Tardio, charged with misuse of public funds and abuse of office.
Albert Royo Mariné, charged with misuse of public funds and document falsification.
Natalia Garriga Ibáñez, charged with misuse of public funds.
Pablo Raventós, charged with misuse of public funds and disobedience.
Rosa M. Rodríguez Curto, charged with misuse of public funds.
Francesc Fabregas Bonet, charged with misuse of public funds and disobedience.
Josué Sallent, charged with misuse of public funds.
Xavier Puig Farré, charged with misuse of public funds.
Rosa Vidal Planella, charged with misuse of public funds, disobedience and document falsification.
Núria Llorach Boladeras, charged with disobedience.
Frederic Udina Abelló, charged with disobedience.
Vicent Sanchís Llacer, charged with disobedience.
Saül Gordillo Benárdez, charged with disobedience.
Martí Patxot, charged with disobedience.
Mercedes Martínez, charged with disobedience.
Joan Manel Gómez Sanz, charged with disobedience.
Josep Masolivé Puig, charged with disobedience.
Marta Garsaball Pujol, charged with misuse of public funds, disobedience, document falsification and abuse of office.
Manuel Manonelles Tarragó, charged with misuse of public funds, disobedience and abuse of office.
Ignasi Genovés Avellana, charged with misuse of public funds, disobedience and abuse of office.
Teresa Prohías Ricart, charged with misuse of public funds, disobedience and abuse of office.