Catalan police heads to face trial for sedition

Spain’s National Court has turned down the appeal of former chief of the Mossos d’Esquadra police, Josep Lluís Trapero, and will go ahead with his prosecution on two counts of sedition and one of organized crime, for his part in the events surrounding the independence bid in Catalonia.

The court also confirmed it will proceed with the prosecution of former interior ministry official Teresa Laplana (sedition), and former Catalan police heads Pere Soler and Cèsar Puig (sedition and organized crime).

Trapero is accused of “passivity” and of ordering “tepid” security measures during the series of raids by Spanish police on Catalan government buildings on September 20, in the run-up to the unilateral independence referendum on October 1.

As for the day of the vote itself, Trapero is accused of “cooperating with the secessionist plans,” while the court maintains that the Catalan police force he commanded failed to fulfil their remit to prevent the vote.

The four former officials lodged their appeals on June 25, with the attorney general calling for the charges to stand, arguing there was “sufficient evidence.” Now, the judge overseeing their cases, Carmen Lamela, has upheld the prosecutor’s demands.

While Trapero is accused of not ordering a sufficient police response to the various events around the referendum, Puig is considered politically responsible for helping to bring about the referendum and declaration of independence that followed, on October 27.

Soler, too, is accused of “connivance and collaboration” with the Catalan police leadership and the organizers of the referendum, playing a “decisive” role in preventing the fulfilment of a high court ruling declaring the vote illegal.

As for Laplana, she is accused of showing “inaction in a context of violence,” on September 20, when the raids by Spanish police looking for evidence to help prevent the referendum took place.