The former vice president of the Parliament, Josep Costa, has managed to put the trial against the Table on a loop. The former deputy from Junts stated this morning at the beginning of the second session that he would be absent from the rest of the sessions and would not participate in the trial. A priori, this can be done since the sentence they ask for is less than two years in prison (they request 20 months of disqualification). However, in this trial, Costa, who is a lawyer, defends himself and his absence implies that he leaves a defendant defenseless with what the court, he has said, cannot accept.
Despite the warning, Costa got up and left the room and left the court with the ballot of having to assign him a court-appointed lawyer and opening a new uncertain scenario: Costa must now validate the appointment of a court-appointed lawyer. office that presumably will reject, with which the process will dilate even more. The appointment of a lawyer for Costa was already a matter of controversy in the TSJC. Not having provided any brief, the court understood that the former deputy lacked a lawyer and assigned one ex officio. Costa rejected it and asked to represent himself, a request that was finally accepted.
Costa's maneuver comes after the court in this session has decided not to accept the questions raised by the defenses. They demanded the suspension of the trial or, in the case of Costa, requested the annulment of the entire process on the understanding that the complaint initially filed by the prosecution was accepted by a court that lacked impartiality. He thus alluded to the magistrates Jesús María Barrientos and Carlos Ramos who were removed at the request of Costa on the understanding that their impartiality could be questioned.
The prosecutor José Joaquín Pérez de Gregorio has attacked Costa's maneuver, which he considers is only intended to torpedo the continuity of the trial. "This is just a crude strategy to prevent this trial from being held" and he has pointed out that leaving the room without the permission of the court could be considered contempt, which could be punished with a fine. Vox, who has finally been allowed to continue in the trial, has also denounced Costa's attitude. Instead, defense attorneys have shown respect for his partner's strategy.
