National Court judge in favor of transferring case against Catalan leaders to Supreme Court

The Spanish National Court judge Carmen Lamela positioned herself in favor of transferring the case against the Catalan government and civil society leaders to the Supreme Court, which is already trying Catalan Parliament bureau members who allowed a vote on a declaration of independence.

While Lamela sent ten people to prison without bail for playing a role in the October 1 independence referendum and the subsequent declaration, the precautionary measures imposed by the Supreme Court judge Pablo Llanera have been different: Parliament president Carme Forcadell spent a night in jail but was released after paying €150,000 bail.

According to Lamela, the Supreme Court should take over the case “because those being investigated are members of a complex organization”. Each of them, she said, played a key role in order to achieve “Catalonia’s secession and its proclamation as a republic” thus contravening “the constitutional order”. Lamela argues that trying the cases separately would hinder the investigation.

Awaiting a decision

It’s now up to Llanera to decide whether he takes all the cases to the Supreme Court or not. When doing so, he will also consider the criteria of the Spanish public prosecutor. In his first move since the late Attorney General José Manuel Maza died on Saturday, Luis Navajas — who is to assume Maza’s responsibilities until a successor is found — said he strongly opposed joining the cases.