Esquerra Republicana considers that the letters rogatory sent by Spain’s National Court judge Manuel García-Castellón to Switzerland yesterday is yet another step in the political operation against the amnesty bill in passage in the Spanish Congress. The sole purpose is to alarm and to bear pressure within the context of the personal judicial crusade that the judge is leading.

It is worth remembering that while the case was under sub-judice secrecy, García-Castellón sent a letter rogatory to Switzerland that was never answered, requesting information on a bank account. In this case, he reiterates the request, but also asks for “details to allow localization of the person of interest,” although it was already made public last 6 November that it is his intention to send such person a summons to testify. However, Marta Rovira – the person of interest – has neither fled, nor is she in hiding, and therefore the judge has and will have available to him the mechanisms to send her such notifications as he considers appropriate. Esquerra Republicana does not therefore attach any importance to the effects that this latest move may have.

Esquerra notes that the judge is attempting to construct charges of terrorism without any real factual basis, and that even Spain’s Public Prosecutor's Office has never accepted that there is sufficient evidence to indict any of the defendants for terrorism.

After years investigating under sub-judice secrecy and without showing any progress, the National Court judge has entered a hyperactive phase which began with the writ on 6 November, and which in just 15 days has led to his accepting private prosecution by far-right party VOX, and associations Dignidad y Justicia and Societat Civil Catalana, as well as two Spanish Police officers, as well as ordering new investigations with the specific aim of linking a death to the protests in question. All in all, in order to fill out an indictment that does not hold water.

Esquerra Republicana will continue to defend in court and elsewhere that there have been no terrorist organizations or any terrorist act in our country linked to Catalonia’s independence movement, and therefore the innocence of all the defendants in these shameful procedings is unquestionable. Esquerra will continue to denounce the abuses of a part of the Spanish high judiciary in the use of instruments of the law to pursue a legitimate political option such as independence, instead of doing justice, which should be their duty.