Former speaker of Catalan Parliament faces trial for allowing votes on independence and Spanish monarchy

Former Catalan parliament speaker Roger Torrent will face trial for allowing votes on independence resolutions and the Spanish monarchy two years ago. Together with three other former pro-independence bureau members, the current business minister will be tried for disobedience in the Catalan high court.

Roger Torrent, Josep Costa, Eusebi Campdepadrós and Adriana Delgado have been accused of contravening Spain’s Constitutional Court’s orders and could be barred from office. The motions, which were passed on 12 November 2019 and saw subsequent amendments on 26 November, were backed by the pro-independence majority in the chamber.

One of the texts stressed that Parliament “reiterates and will reiterate as many times as MPs choose its disapproval of the monarchy, the defense of self-determination and the affirmation of the sovereignty of the people of Catalonia to decide their political future.” The second one saw the chamber accusing Spain’s Constitutional Court of “censorship” on self-determination and criticism of monarchy discussions.

During the debate on the second motion, unionist Ciutadans announced that their party would take the passed motion to the prosecutor’s office. “You are the champions of disobedience,” said then party leader Lorena Roldán. In November 2019, the Constitutional Court had already partly suspended the motion, warning the parliament and the members of its bureau, who at the time were under speaker Roger Torrent, of the criminal consequences of not complying with its rulings.