Intentions not facts under investigation

“There are no crimes of intent”, was the reaction of Catalunya Sí que es Pot spokesperson Joan Coscubiela yesterday when evaluating the open investigation against the Catalan Minister of Governance, Meritxell Borràs, for the purchase of ballot boxes. According to the MP, the fact that the Supreme Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC) has agreed to open a case against Borràs and her department secretary, Francesc Esteve Balagué, at the request of the Spanish prosecutor’s office is an error that seeks to “pre-judge” the ballot boxes being used for the referendum and that “does not come under the jurisdiction” of the courts.

This warning that the Spanish justice system has been set in motion to investigate the Catalan government’s intentions and announcements as opposed to specific measures such as decrees and laws is concerning because it means those involved are being charged with prevarication, disobedience and embezzlement based on Borràs’ participation in the act in support of the referendum organised by the pro-sovereignty organisations in Montjuïc.

Junts pel Sí spokesperson Roger Torrent went a step further and called the complaint “crude”, before adding that it will not stop the referendum from being held on October 1. “It shows they haven’t understood anything”, he said, repeating that the Catalans will vote for their own political future.

The CUP also agreed that any judicial action against the Generalitat will not prevent the vote on 1-O. MP Mireia Boya expressed her party’s solidarity with the minister and secretary, saying “The prosecutor’s office and the TSJC will not get their way. They won’t be able to stop the referendum and citizens from expressing themselves democratically.”