Regional court agrees to investigate Catalan leader over independence vote

Catalonia’s highest court has decided to open a judicial probe into Catalan premier Artur Mas and two top aides for organizing an informal referendum on self-rule for the region on November 9.

The Catalan Regional High Court took the decision on the basis of a case filed by state prosecutors against Mas, his deputy Joana Ortega and education commissioner Irene Rigau on allegations that they disobeyed the Constitutional Court’s order to suspend the vote until it ruled on its legality.

At this point, however, none of the three have become official targets of the court inquiry, and no date has been set for a hearing.

Around two million people turned out for the non-binding poll, around a third of eligible voters. Support for independence was 80 percent, but the unofficial nature of the referendum cast doubts over its significance.

The central government, which is run by the conservative Popular Party (PP), had long challenged the notion of a regional referendum and lodged the Constitutional appeal that got it suspended in the first place.

When Catalan officials went ahead with the vote anyway, bypassing the suspension by leaving organizational issues in the hands of civil society volunteers, Madrid immediately pressed to have Mas and his aides investigated for possible offenses.

State attorneys denounced that the government was exerting pressure on them to prosecute Mas, while Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said that his administration respects the independence of the judiciary.

On November 21, the attorney general, Eduardo Torres-Dulce, officially filed charges against the three Catalan officials for disobedience, breach of public duties, misuse of public money and usurpation of powers.

But Torres-Dulce has since resigned from the post, alleging personal reasons. It is unclear whether the issue of the prosecution played a role in his decision.