Spanish Guardia Civil interrogates civil servants amid independence vote preparations

Some investigations refer to Catalan government’s institutional campaign inviting citizens resident abroad to register on external electoral roll

Two 'Guardia Civil' officers this morning at BIMSa headquarters, in Barcelona (by ACN)
Two 'Guardia Civil' officers this morning at BIMSa headquarters, in Barcelona (by ACN) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

June 28, 2017 04:12 PM

The Spanish Guardia Civil is interrogating Catalan government civil servants in relation to the October 1 independence referendum preparations, the ACN has learnt. Some of the interrogations refer to the institutional campaign launched by the government inviting citizens living abroad to register on the external electoral roll, which is totally voluntary. One of the companies that was bidding to supply the ballot boxes for the referendum also received a visit by Spanish police officers.

The Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, accused the People's Party and the liberal C's party of "frightening civil servants and public workers" to stop them taking part in the organization of the referendum. Both parties are openly opposed to an independence vote in Catalonia, which they consider illegal. Puigdemont insisted that the process is "absolutely legal" and warned that nothing will change Catalans' determination to have a say about their future in October

Puigdemont said in a speech in Parliament that the prosecution is "following orders from political parties" that are against the independence referendum. "They don’t want civil servants to even think about taking part in processes that are absolutely legal," he complained.