The Guardia Civil searches CDC headquarters, its foundation and four local councils

Barcelona (CNA).- The Spanish Guardia Civil have searched the headquarters of the Catalan President’s Liberal Party CDC and those of the party’s foundation, CatDem. Investigators have also searched the local councils of Figueres, Lloret de Mar, Sant Celoni and Sant Cugat del Vallès, all towns in which the party is currently or has previously been in power. The searches are part of an ongoing investigation into alleged irregular financing of the party. The general coordinator of CDC, Josep Rull, denied the accusation of irregular financing, saying that all donations to the foundation CatDem have always been “legal and public”. In a press conference in Barcelona, Rull accused the Spanish government of trying to “influence” the electoral campaign. Catalonia is going to the polls on the 27^th of September in what many consider a ‘de facto’ plebiscite on independence from Spain. 

 

Police have also searched the house of former treasurer of the party Daniel Osácar. The so-called operation ‘Petrum’ investigates whether companies paid a 3% commission to the CDC foundation in exchange for public contracts. In the first phase of the investigation, in July, Spanish police arrested Jordi Sumarroca, CEO of Teyco and son of one of the founders of CDC, Carles Sumarroca, and two other members of his family. Officers also arrested the former mayor of the town of Torredembarra, Daniel Massagué.

“We are probably one of the most investigated parties”, said the coordinator of CDC, Josep Rull, arguing that they are “as transparent as always”. Rull regretted that the media was advised of the searches in advance, even before the party, and accused the Spanish government of orchestrating a “media spectacle” to undermine the independence cause by attacking CDC, the party of Catalan President Artur Mas. “Someone is trying to start the electoral campaign beforehand”, he said.

Josep Rull denied any wrongdoing and said that all donations to the party foundation have always been “legal and public”. Rull did recognise, however, that CatDem received donations from Teyco in 2007, 2008 and 2009 of up to €150,000 euros. Another company, Blue Dreams, donated €207,000 between 2012 and 2014.

“Nothing to hide”

The Catalan Minister for the Presidency, Francesc Homs, said that CDC “has nothing to hide” and that the party will always “fight against corruption”. In a press conference from Parliament, Homs reminded journalists that “the powers of the Spanish state” already used “dirty tricks” to undermine them before the 2012 Catalan election, when the independence issue was already high on the agenda. Back then, Catalan President Artur Mas was accused of having hidden money in a bank account in Switzerland, something that “was then proved to be a lie”. Former mayor of Barcelona, Xavier Trias, was also accused of having €12.9 million in a UBS bank account. The bank denied the accusations and even issued a certificate saying that the CDC politician had never had an account with them.

CDC, however, suffered a great blow when the former President of Catalonia Jordi Pujol admitted having an inheritance offshore, in Andorra, for more than 30 years without reporting it to the tax authorities. Pujol, the political mentor of current Catalan President Artur Mas, recognised having held the money but denied any corruption accusations. Pujol, his wife and three of their children have been formally indicted for alleged fiscal fraud and money laundering.