Spanish government partially pardons former parliament speaker Laura Borràs

The Spanish government has partially pardoned the former speaker of the Catalan parliament, Laura Borràs.

The former Junts leader has had her prison sentence reduced from 4.5 years to 2, which will allow Borràs to avoid spending time in prison.

Borràs was found guilty in March 2023 of corruption for splitting IT contracts to avoid public tenders during her time in charge of the Institute of Catalan Letters.

The Catalan High Court sentence included a 13-year ban from holding public office and a fine of €36,000, which have been maintained following the partial pardon.

In its initial sentence in March 2023, the court itself stated that the prison sentence was "disproportionate and excessive" and opened the door to a request for government pardon.

Prosecutors opposed the measure of clemency, but the Spanish government has now decided to follow the criteria set by the court.

Borràs was convicted along with a well-known IT executive, who obtained several contracts by hand, and another who facilitated the falsification of documents.

The High Court proposed a pardon for the prison sentence that exceeded two years, which will allow Borràs to avoid being sent to prison.