Independence leader in Switzerland to explain “strategy” to press

A pro-independence CUP party leader confirmed on Monday that a former MP who is due to testify in Spain’s Supreme Court on Wednesday, but who is in Switzerland preparing her legal defense, will explain her situation to the press on Tuesday.

According to a member of the party leadership, Mireia Boya, who herself testified in the Supreme Court last week, Anna Gabriel will give a new conference on Tuesday, so that “she herself can explain her strategy,” with her court appearance set for the following day.

In a statement over the weekend, the CUP party said Gabriel’s reasons for traveling to Switzerland were part of an “anti-repression campaign” and a defensive strategy against the “general probe being led by the Supreme Court.”

Gabriel’s decision to leave the country in the run-up to her court appearance has drawn criticism from political opponents in the past few days. A main figure in the pro-independence bloc, some suggest that Gabriel might be following the example of deposed president Carles Puigdemont by remaining abroad.

On Sunday, for example, a  senior member of Spain’s ruling People’s Party, Andrea Levy, told reporters that Gabriel must answer for “her serious irresponsibilities,” in reference to her role during the bid for independence, and she added that “no form of escapism is acceptable.”

Meanwhile, Lorena Roldán from the Ciutadans party, which is also opposed to independence and is set to become the main opposition party in the new Catalan parliament, warned about Gabriel becoming “another fugitive” of the independence movement, adding: “We hope that does not happen, that she prefers not to hide but to show her face.”