The leader of the PSC, Salvador Illa, has assured this Friday that his "red lines" in the modification of the Criminal Code in relation to the crime of embezzlement is that both "political corruption" and the "improper or arbitrary use of public funds" , also for political purposes, must have criminal sanction.
ERC has registered today in Congress an amendment to the reform of the Criminal Code that proposes to modify the crime of embezzlement that affects authorities and officials to distinguish whether or not this misappropriation of assets entails profit for the person, in such a way that it establishes lower penalties for those who do not personally benefit from the crime.
In parallel, the socialist group and Unidas Podemos have presented another amendment to this bill to reform the Penal Code, which introduces a new criminal offense to punish public officials whose assets increase by more than 3 years in prison. 250,000 euros without being able to justify it.
In an interview with EFE, Illa applauded this "new crime of illicit enrichment" that puts Spain at "the vanguard of the fight against corruption."
But when asked about the ERC amendments, the leader of the Catalan socialists has been blunt: "There must be no step back in terms of corruption. Political corruption must have criminal sanctions and there must be no benefit for those convicted. And the improper use of public funds must have a criminal sanction. That's what I think, they are two red lines."
An "irregular and arbitrary" use of public funds also for political purposes that for Illa is an "impassable line", from which it will be possible to "study the amendments" presented.
For the leader, the Government takes into account what happened five years ago in Catalonia, adapts the Criminal Code to European regulations, but in no case does it leave the State "unprotected" to "defend itself from a possible repetition of what we experience" in October 2017. "I am sure that it will not happen again -he has asserted-. But if it did happen again, I am sure that the State has elements to be able to respond to it."
As an example, he recalled that the crime of rebellion continues to exist in the Penal Code; that the conduct of 2017 "continues to be typified" in the new crime of aggravated public disorder; that the new criminal offense of illicit enrichment is incorporated; and that "other instruments remain in force, such as article 155." "I say it to make things clear," she pointed out.
Regarding the criticism from sectors of the independence movement or some social movements to the new crime of aggravated public disorder, he has assured that the purpose of the reform "is not to penalize or criminalize the protest, but to classify as aggravated public disorder behaviors that occurred five years ago , instead of being classified as sedition". "And if there is any proposal to refine this typification, it can be studied," suggested Illa, who reiterated that "there is no desire to prevent protests."
