Former president Artur Mas appears in court

The former president of Catalonia, Artur Mas, will appear in the Spanish Supreme Court on Tuesday as part of a major investigation on the political roadmap that led to a declaration of independence last October. Mas faces criminal charges of rebellion, sedition, and misuse of public funds.

There are currently 28 people under investigation for their role in Catalonia’s push for independence. The former head of the association of municipalities in favor of independence (AMI), Neus Lloveras, is to appear in court on Tuesday as well.

In total, 12 leaders have been preemptively sent to jail at some point during the investigation, while four remain behind bars. Following the hearings, Llarena will decide whether to impose some preemptive measures on Mas and Lloveras or not.

In 2012, Mas galvanized the independence bid at the institutional level by calling an election in which pro-independence parties won a majority of seats in parliament for the first time. As president, he became the most visible figure of Catalan politics.

In 2016, Mas resigned as president after far-left CUP party refused to back a pro-independence government led by him. Mas ceded his post to Carles Puigdemont, who went ahead with independence plans and is currently in Belgium.