The criminal judge of Huesca, Ángel Manuel de Pedro Tomás, has confirmed the suspension of the trial that was to begin on Wednesday against the former ministers of Culture of the Generalitat, Santi Vila and Lluís Puig, thus addressing the question of Puig's competence as a deputy of the Parliament. of Catalonia. The judge will send to the Supreme Court a "reasoned statement in which the reasons for which it is understood that the competence to hear this case does not correspond to this court" are expressed, and decide whether it is the Supreme Court or the Superior Court of Justice. of Catalonia who should solve the case.
The judge had already suspended the hearing last week due to the demand of Puig's representation to hold the trial in Catalonia due to his status as a judge, a decision that was supported by a report by the senior lawyer of the Parliament that certifies "his full exercise of the condition” of deputy.
Speaking to this newspaper, Santi Vila assured that for him “it is sad news”, because the process has been going on for more than five years, a time in which he believes that “everything looks different, with another perspective”. "A bad deal is always better than a good trial, but it's grotesque that a solution hasn't been reached yet." Vila remembers that he continues "having the house seized", and he is hurt for not being able to turn the page.
On May 3, the trial had already been suspended because the Belgian justice had not notified Puig of the summons. This is the trial for disobedience for not having complied with the court order to transfer the 44 pieces of the monastery of Santa María de Sijena from the Museu de Lleida, and that the Civil Guard took in December 2017, during the application of article 155 of the Spanish Constitution. The Huesca Prosecutor's Office asks them for 11 months in prison and a fine of almost 6,000 euros, while the private prosecution, from the Villanueva de Sijena City Council, asks for the same prison sentence but the request for a fine increases to 162,000 euros for Vila, 99,000 for Puig and a two-year disqualification for alleged usurpation of functions.
Catalan version, here
