Court closes case against former Catalan minister for transferring assets to wife

The Spanish Supreme Court has closed the case against former Catalan minister Jordi Turull and his wife Blanca Bragulat for the offense of false insolvency after he allegedly transferred “an important part” of his assets to her ahead of the political crisis over last year's referendum and declaration of independence.

Already requested to be provisionally dismissed

The court decision was taken on Monday after the Spanish prosecutor requested the provisional dismissal and closing of the proceedings. In the document, signed by judge José Francisco Valls, the court argues that the proceedings “did not allow sufficient proof of rational pre-existing criminal evidence when formulating the lawsuit for transfer of assets.”

Turull and Bragulat were going to be on trial for the politician transferring over 96,000 euros worth of assets to his wife in May 2017. The prosecutor did not find evidence of any irregular activity, however, and the transfer, according to the defendants’ statements in court, was made because Bragulat was a legitimate proprietor.

Behind bars since March

A senior figure in Carles Puigdemont’s government, Turull was sacked as minister along with his colleagues and subsequently sent to Madrid’s Estremera prison on November 2 last year, where he spent a month behind bars. He then entered prison again on March 23, 2018, accused of rebellion and misuse of public funds for his role in the independence bid. He is currently being held in the Lledoners prison in Catalonia. 

Before president Quim Torra took up the post, Turull had been nominated by Puigdemont as his successor after pro-independence parties held on to a parliamentary majority last December, but his appointment—just like Puigdemont’s and that of activist Jordi Sánchez—was blocked by Spanish courts.