Former minister Turull testifies at Catalan trial

Former Catalan minister, Jordi Turull, is set to give his testimony in Spain’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, charged with organizing a referendum and declaring independence.

As the presidency minister and cabinet spokesperson, Turull was one of the highest-ranking government officials during the independence referendum, deemed as illegal by Spain.

Turull has spent 366 days in precautionary detention.

Junqueras and Forn gave testimony last week

Turull is the third defendant to speak in the Catalan trial, after former vice president Oriol Junqueras and former interior minister Joaquim Forn gave their testimony last week.

Turull entered prison on November 2, 2017, only to be released a month later on a €100,000 bail.

Responding to prosecutors' questions, Turull maintained that pushing for independence was not against the law: "The Together for Yes candidacy was for independence. Everyone knew it. It’s not abnormal to try to peacefully and democratically deliver on what you pledged to Catalans."

Elected as an MP for Junts per Catalunya (JxCat) party, he was proposed by the exiled former president Carles Puigdemont as his successor, when Spanish courts prevented him from retaking the post at a distance.

He entered prison again on March 23, a day before he was to be elected as Catalan president in parliament.

He was subsequently suspended as MP, and prevented from retaking his post as presidency minister while in prison.