26th September 2023
Artur Mas
Barcelona News Madrid News Main News

Artur Mas and others fined €4.9m

The former Catalan president, Artur Mas, three of his cabinet members and six other officials have been condemned to pay 4.94m euros for organising the 2014 unofficial vote on independence.

Mas and former ministers Joana Ortega, Irene Rigau and Francesc Homs faced trial in 2017 and were sentenced to between one and two years barred from public offices, as well as paying fines of 24,000 to 36,000 euros.

Artur Mas
Former Catalan president Artur Mas (centre) with some other officials involved in the 2014 unofficial vote, outside Spain’s Court of Auditors. (Tània Tàpia / via ACN)

Yet while they were not found guilty of misuse of funds by the Supreme Court and the Spanish High Court in Catalonia (TSJC), a lawsuit by two civic organisations at Spain’s Court of Auditors has ended up in them having been found guilty of using public funds for the unofficial referendum, held on 9 November 2014.

The former officials already offered their houses as a guarantee of a portion of the 5.2m euros deposit required in September 2017, and had previously paid 2.8m euros in October 2017 out of a solidarity fund created by pro-independence civil society organisations. The court has reduced by 300,000 euros its original demands.

Officials’ reaction

The verdict can now be appealed to the same court and, as a last resort, to the Spanish Supreme Court.

Indeed, Artur Mas and the three former ministers involved reacted on Monday afternoon saying that the verdict is ‘a judicial outrage’ and they will appeal against it.

Recent Posts

Shakira charged with tax evasion of nearly €7m in a second case in Spain

News Desk

The NFL is looking at playing some games in Madrid next season

Sports Desk

Rally against Catalan amnesty, ahead of Feijóo facing ‘doomed’ investiture vote

News Desk

Spain and Sweden women’s footballers stage joint ‘It’s Over’ protest

News Desk

J.A.Bayona’s ‘Society of the Snow’ chosen as Spain’s Oscar contender

News Desk

Spain must wait to see if EU will accept Catalan, Basque & Galician as official languages

News Desk

Leave a Comment