First appearances at prosecution offices of mayors charged with collaborating with referendum

Attorney general ordered the investigation of 75% of Catalonia's top local authorities

Oliana (left) and El Pont de Suert mayors after appearing on court in La Seu d'Urgell (by Marta Lluvich)
Oliana (left) and El Pont de Suert mayors after appearing on court in La Seu d'Urgell (by Marta Lluvich) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

September 19, 2017 01:57 PM

The offensive against Catalan mayors for collaborating with the referendum stepped up on Tuesday. All mayors had received letters from the Spanish government and Constitutional Court warning that getting involved with the vote was illegal. The attorney general ordered an investigation of 75% of them and sent summonses to some of them. The first three appeared in court on Tuesday.

The mayors from El Pont de Suert, Oliana and Mollerussa, all of which are in western Catalonia, appeared at prosecutors offices. The first two went to the local courthouse in La Seu d’Urgell, along with some one hundred citizens and local officials who supported them before they went inside. Mollerussa's mayor has immunity since he is also a member of the Catalan Parliament. For this reason, he appeared at the attorney general's office in Barcelona. A bus from Mollerussa travelled around 150 km all the way to the Catalan capital with people supporting the mayor.