Prosecutors ask Catalan High Court to grant amnesty to former senior pro-independence officials

The public prosecutor's office has asked the Catalan High Court (TSJC) to grant an amnesty to Josep Maria Jové, Lluís Salvadó and Natàlia Garriga, all of whom were economy department officials at the time of the 2017 independence referendum.

In a 15-page letter, prosecutor Pedro Ariche requested the application of the amnesty which came into force on June 11 after it was published in Spain's Official Gazette.

The three were to be tried from October in a trial due to several weeks. The prosecution had asked for a seven-year prison sentence for Jové and six years and three months for Salvadó for disobedience, breach of official duty, and misuse of funds.

For Garriga, the current culture minister, the prosecution had requested one year disqualification from public office for serious disobedience.

At the time of the independence vote, Jové held the post of secretary general of the economy department while Salvadó was the secretary of the treasury. The pair were considered the right-hand men of former Catalan vice president Oriol Junqueras.

CDR activists

In a separate case, the public prosecutor's office at Spain's National Court has asked for the amnesty law to be applied to activists belonging to the Committees of the Defense of the Republic (CDR) accused of terrorism as part of Operation Judas.

Prosecutor Marta Durántez indicated in a pre-trial hearing that took place in Madrid, that the events and dates fall within the scope of application of the law.

"The amnesty law does not apply to charges of terrorism that have severely violated rights and freedoms according to European legislation, something that we believe has not happened in this case," Durántez said.

The public office, which had asked for up to twenty-seven years in prison for some of the defendants, now argues that "criminal liability is extinguished" and asks for the case to be dismissed.

CDR defense lawyer Carlos Hurtado also argued that amnesty can be applied to them, while private prosecutors, representing organizations including the far-right political party Vox, argued that the amnesty cannot be applied.

Judges at Catalonia's High Court and Spain's National Court will now need to decide on the two cases after the prosecutors' requests.

Amnesty law

The amnesty law is part of a deal between the pro-independence Junts party and Spain's Socialists that saw Pedro Sánchez reelected as prime minister in November 2023.

It is to benefit those involved in the independence movement, including individuals who have been investigated, accused, or charged with a wide range of crimes, including embezzlement and disobedience.

It will also cover those sentenced in 2019 for their roles in organizing the referendum, such as former vice president Oriol Junqueras and former cabinet members. Former president Carles Puigdemont has not yet faced trial but could also benefit from the amnesty law.