Former Catalan President Jordi Pujol testifies before Spain’s High Court and denies being a corrupt politician
The judicial process for alleged fiscal fraud and money laundering against family members of the President of Catalonia between 1980 and 2003 Jordi Pujol continues. This Wednesday, Pujol testified before Spain's High Court, 'La Audiencia Nacional', and gave further details on his father’s legacy, some €4 million which it is alleged was kept in Andorra for 34 years without informing tax authorities. He insisted that his father, Florenci, left the sum for Jordi Pujol’s wife and children, not for him, due to the risk of retaliation for his political activities in the years after Franco’s death. The founder of the centre-right Catalan nationalist coalition CiU in the 1970s also set himself apart from some of his sons’ businesses and denied being a corrupt politician. His wife, Marta Ferrusola, refused to answer any questions from either the judge or the prosecution.
Barcelona (CNA).- After confessing that his family had kept in Andorra for 34 years some €4 million resulting from his father’s legacy without informing tax authorities, the President of the Catalan Government between 1980 and 2003 Jordi Pujol testified this Wednesday before Spain's High Court, 'La Audiencia Nacional'. The founder of the centre-right Catalan nationalist coalition CiU in the 1970s insisted that the allegedly illegal money was part of his father’s legacy and denied being a corrupt politician. Pujol also set himself apart from some of his sons’ businesses and pointed out that the bank account in Andorra under his name is actually his son’s. He explained the use of his own name due to the divorce process of his son. Pujol’s testament before Judge De la Mata this Wednesday is to be added to the explanations he gave before the Catalan Parliament at the end of September and before the Barcelona-based judge investigating the case in January. His wife, Marta Ferrusola, refused to answer any questions from either the judge or the prosecution.
Judge De La Mata particularly focused the investigation on proving the origin of the Andorran money, since the amount is much greater than the official inheritance. Initially, the legacy was identified as being worth 140 million pesetas but there is currently the equivalent of 500 million pesetas in the account. Pujol denied that the money kept in Andorra had an illegal origin and insisted that the different familiar fortunes discovered in several bank accounts in the tax haven all came from investments made with his father’s legacy. However, he didn’t hand over any documentation to prove any of these operations. Thus, Pujol repeated the same details which he gave in his testament on the 27th of January last year.
A bank account with a dubious holder
De La Mata is also investigating the former Catalan President’s family for allegedly “orchestrated a coordinated strategy to develop economic business, generate benefits, hide them and distribute them” amongst the members of the family. In relation to these accusations, Pujol set himself apart from some of his sons’ businesses and denied being a corrupt politician.
Pujol also explained before the judge why his name appeared on a bank account in Andorra from which the family withdrew 1,145,00 euros in 2010. The former Catalan President explained that the bank account belonged to his eldest son, Jordi Pujol Ferrusola. In order to help him through his divorce, the founder of CiU agreed to put his name on the account. However, De La Mata suspects that Jordi Pujol was the actual holder of the account.
His wife, Marta Ferrusola, refused to answer any questions from either the judge or the prosecution.