Former head of diplomacy council testifies in Catalan trial

On Wednesday morning, the role of Catalonia’s foreign affairs ministry during the independence bid came under scrutiny in the independence trial, with relevant former officials summoned as witnesses.

Albert Royo, the former head of the Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia (DIPLOCAT), took the stand. Amadeu Altafaj, the former representative of the Catalan government in Brussels, was also summoned to testfy. 

Yet Altafaj, under investigation in another referendum-related case, declined to testify and the court allowed him not to attend the courtroom.

In the afternoon, the head of an international team of experts charged with overviewing the referendum, Helena Catt, will speak as a witness.

Assessing the political impact of the referendum, she said that "the results must be taken into account in the international community,” but described the vote as a “political mass protest.”

Day 16 of the independence trial started at 10am with the testimony of Jaume Mestre, the man in charge of the Catalan government's public information department under the Carles Puigdemont executive.