Minister and mayor summoned to high court over October 1 referendum

Spain's high court in Catalonia, the TSJC, has summoned interior minister, Miquel Buch, and the mayor of Vilanova i la Geltrú, Neus Lloveras, to testify over charges of disobedience for encouraging municipalities to facilitate last October's independence referendum.

The prosecutor originally presented the indictment last September, when Buch was the head of the Catalan Association of Municipalities, and Lloveras was president of the Association of Municipalities for Independence.

Now that Buch is a member of the government, and has ministerial privileges, it has fallen to the TSJC to try the case. Both defendants will give evidence as part of the court's investigation into the charges levied against them.

The prosecution says that Lloveras and Buch sent emails to mayors in Catalonia asking them to confirm the availability of local facilities where the vote could be held, encouraging them to show support for the referendum, and providing them with campaign material.

So far, no date has been set for their appearances in court.