Court agrees to hold property of former Catalan president

The Court of Auditors agreed to provisionally hold property of Catalan officials who are being tried for organizing a non-binding independence vote on November 9, 2014. The politicians, including former Catalan president Artur Mas, offered their houses as a guarantee of a €5.2 million fine —the estimated cost of the referendum.

Mas and the former ministers —Francesc Homs, Irene Rigau and Joana Ortega— paid €2.8 million last October. They got the money from a solidarity fund created by pro-independence civil society organizations.

As they could not pay the total sum of the fine, they offered their properties as a guarantee. The Court of Auditors accepted to seize their houses while the trial is underway. Meanwhile, they will be able to continue using the apartments.

Mas, who appointed Carles Puigdemont as his successor following the 2015 election, was barred from holding public office for a two-year period. The Catalan high court found the officials guilty of disobeying the Constitutional Court by holding the nonbinding vote on independence.