Catalan police leadership under investigation

The case against the Mossos d'Esquadra police chief Ferran López and six top officials transferred to Spain's national court

The Catalan police chief Ferran López (by Javier Barbancho)
The Catalan police chief Ferran López (by Javier Barbancho) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

March 29, 2018 12:06 PM

The top leadership of the Catalan police, the Mossos d'Esquadra, is under investigation for failing to stop last October's independence referendum. A local court in Catalonia has referred the case involving seven top officials to Spain's National Court, which is already investigating the former police chief Josep Lluís Trapero and the officer Teresa Laplana for sedition.

The case now includes Ferran López, the current head of the Mossos, appointed by the Spanish government after dismissing Trapero. Catalonia's own police body has been under fire for allegedly not doing enough to halt the vote, which was deemed illegal by the Spanish Constitutional Court.