Spain's former vice president testifies in Catalan trial

Former Spanish president Mariano Rajoy's former deputy, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, started to testify on Wednesday morning in the Catalan trial. She was in charge of the Spanish government's regional policy during the height of the conflict.

The former Spanish finance minister, Cristóbal Montoro, will be among the other witnesses, and will declare immediately after Sáenz de Santamaría.

Montoro famously told the press that "no public money was spent on the referendum," after his department closely controlled Catalonia's finances in 2017. This, if true, would contradict the allegation of misuse of public funds that all the former Catalan government members face.

Set for 4pm, Rajoy himself will take the stand this afternoon.

This came after the testimonies of Esquerra's MP Joan Tardà and the former Catalan president Artur Mas.