The former president of the Generalitat, Carles Puigdemont, has stood up to the Court of Auditors and has not attended the in-person summons to be questioned for the diversion of up to five million euros for the referendum of October 1, 2017 and the foreign promotion of the process. “He wanted to come and waited until the last moment to see if he could come,” his lawyer has come to allege, Gonzalo Boye, which has attended the hearing of the Court of Auditors. Nad
Failure to appear does not imply a fine, but it does theoretically harm Puigdemont’s defense. However, he shows total indifference to the case and did not even attempt to explain himself in time via videoconference, because the amnesty law proposal registered by the PSOE literally declares his accounting responsibility “extinguished” like that of the other 34 prosecuted independentists. In fact, the lawyers of the independence leaders requested the suspension of the hearing and the entire trial, but the accusations have been opposed by both the Catalan Civil Society and the prosecutor of the Court of Accounts himself, Manuel Martín-Granizo. He has admitted that it is likely that the amnesty law will finally be approved, but as long as it is not in force, suspension is not appropriate.
The counselor responsible for the case in the Court of Accounts, Elena Hernandez, continues forward and, although he declares himself “aware of the circumstances” he has demanded “professionalism” from the defenses of the independentists. Hernáez, appointed at the proposal of the PP, has given way, in the absence of Puigdemont, to her former auditor of the Ministry of Finance, María Luisa Lamela. This has been stated by the Ministry at the stage of Christopher Montoro, “did not have the capacity to control the expenses of the Generalitat” and that it corresponded to the autonomous government itself. Boye asked him why Montoro then declared in 2017 that “not one public euro” had gone to the illegal referendum. Hernáez has cut him off, emphasizing that the intervener “has not been summoned to give opinions.”
The one who was advisor to Puigdemont’s Presidency, Francis Homs, acts as a lawyer in the case and has questioned Lamela about “why the intervention of the State did not have the capacity to control the expenses of the Generalitat.” She responded that what she was doing was “ordering massive payments to creditors”, but “it was not within my powers to analyze what expenses they incurred”, but rather it corresponded to the general intervention of the Government.
Later, in statements to the press, Puigdemont’s lawyer gave another version of the Junts leader’s absence, attributing the sit-in to “an agenda problem,” for one. «European Parliament trip». She said she did not know when she plans to return to Spain.