Artur Mas: The charges are ‘the reaction of an arrogant, furious and clumsy state’

‘Legally I didn’t disobey. Politically, there was a democratic rebellion against the State’ Catalan President Artur Mas stated this Wednesday referring to his summonsing by Catalonia’s Supreme Court (TSJC). In a radio interview with Catalunya Radio he described the charges as ‘the reaction of an arrogant, furious, clumsy state, whose pride was hurt, which is incapable of dialogue and which will do everything in its hands to get rid of me’. Mas admitted that being suspended from office would have ‘legal consequences’ as long as Catalonia is still subject to Spain’s legal system. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy considers it ‘false and unfair’ to attribute the court’s decision to the Spanish government, as in Spain there is a ‘separation of powers’.

Not disobedience, nor misappropriation of public funds

President Mas is already preparing his declaration in front of the TSJC, scheduled for the 15^th of October, in which he will have to respond to the charges of disobedience that the court attributed to him for organising the 9-N symbolic vote on independence. ‘Legally I didn’t disobey’ emphasised Mas and explained that Spanish Constitutional Court (TC) suspended the consultation decree first and later the participative process. However, when the Generalitat asked the TC which actions ‘were exactly suspended’, the Court didn’t answer. ‘We never got to know what needed to be suspended’, assured Mas.

Regarding the accusation of misappropriation of public funds, Mas pointed out that all the resources used for the consultation ‘still remain in the Generalitat’ and he named the computers that are now used in schools as an example.

The 27-S elections ‘endorsed’ the 9-N consultation

‘The 9-N consultation was an action of standing firm in front of the State. I confess I was a democratic rebel against the decision stopping us from putting the ballot boxes’ he insisted.

According to Mas, this situation is ‘the reaction of an arrogant, furious, clumsy state, whose pride was hurt, which is incapable of dialogue and which will do everything in its hands to get rid of me’. He added that the 27-S elections were the ‘democratic endorsement of the 9-N consultation. People backed and endorsed the 9-N consultation and told the Spanish State to stop being arrogant and vain, because at the end, people voted’ he remarked.

He admitted that in the event of the court suspending him from office, it will have ‘legal consequences’ as long as Catalonia continues to be subject to Spain’s legal system. He insisted that public workers who helped organise the 9-N symbolic vote ‘can’t be forced to act illegally’, ‘no matter how powerful their president is’ he stated, defending their actions.

Rajoy: In Spain there is a ‘separation of powers’

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy considers it ‘false and unfair’ to attribute the TSJC’s summons to the Spanish government. He also denied any political responsibility regarding the date when President Mas will have to present himself to the court; the 15^th of October this year coincides with the 75^th anniversary of Catalan President Lluís Companys’ execution. ‘The Spanish government has nothing to do with these decisions’ assured Rajoy. ‘There is separation of powers’ in Spain, he emphasised. ‘It is a legal decision and in a democracy, legal decisions have to be respected, whether you like it or not’ he concluded.

Rajoy’s statements came after Spanish Minister of Justice Rafael Catalá admitted to knowing the TSJC decision in advance. Catalá assured that the court took into account the 27-S elections and decided to leave the summons pending after the electoral process to avoid ‘interfering’ with it.