Judge calls former health minister to testify voluntarily over delay in Spanish police receiving Covid vaccines

An investigating judge has given former Catalan health minister Alba Vergés 20 days to testify voluntarily regarding the decision to delay the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccines to Spanish National Police and Guardia Civil agents in Catalonia. 

According to the magistrate, the ERC MP took part in the decision to stop and delay the vaccination of Spanish police officers.

However, as she has immunity due to her post, Vergés has the right not to testify in the ordinary court but before the High Court of Catalonia (TSJC).

The immunity she has will only serve to bring the case under a higher court, and Vergés could still face legal consequences over the case. 

The case against the secretary of public health, Carmen Cabezas, and a former director of the Catalan public health service, Sara Manjón, has been closed.

In April 2021, a court ordered the Catalan health department to ensure that members of Spain's National Police and the Guardia Civil forces based in Catalonia are vaccinated at the same rate as the Catalan Mossos d'Esquadra police force.

The Catalan health department told the court that National Police and Civil Guards between the ages of 60 and 65 are being vaccinated and insisted that no discriminatory treatment is taking place.

The court stated that by March 24 of that year, 77% of Mossos d'Esquadra, 68.9% of local police and 77.9% of Barcelona's Guàrdia Urbana had been vaccinated. On the other hand, just 3.6% of the National Police and 2.8% of the Civil Guard had been vaccinated.

The case is open for the crimes of malfeasance and against workers' rights.

The investigation against Vergés, requested by the prosecutor's office and police unions, comes after WhatsApp messages were provided by the defense of Carmen Cabezas and former health official Josep Maria Argimon.

According to these messages, a member of the health department told Cabezas: "The minister asks to stop the Guardia Civil and the National Police"; and "Again the minister asks me to stop the Guardia Civil and National Police, we can't argue, we should stop."

In a judge's statement, the decision was initially put down as a collective decision, but now Cabezas and Argimon have defended themselves by attributing the decision directly to the minister and her closest confidants and asked for the case against them to be closed.

ERC believes case is "injust" 

Esquerra Republicana, the party of Alba Vergés, has defended the former health minister's management of the vaccination strategy, and closed ranks with Vergés after the judge said that he wanted to investigate her.

In a statement, ERC insists that the police forces were vaccinated following the set vaccination criteria and pointed out "the difficulties of bureaucratic coordination" of the vaccination of these agents.

The party currently governing in Catalonia also blamed the instructions of the Spanish health ministry regarding the use of the Astrazeneca jab, which had "recurring criteria changes."

ERC believes that this case is "unjust" and considers it an example of  "ideological persecution" against pro-independence leaders.