The defense of the general secretary of ERC, Marta Rovira, has requested the judge of the National Court investigating the ‘Democratic Tsunami’ case to suspend her statement as investigated scheduled for this Wednesday given that this summons coincides with another commitment in a Guipúzcoa court.
This is explained by lawyer Iñigo Iruin in a writing, to which Europa Press has had access, in which he responds to an order from the head of the Central Court of Instruction number 6, Manuel García Castellón, of May 16, in which he required that defense that would provide documentation on that coincidence of dates.
Thus, Rovira’s defense provides, among other documentation, a certificate from the Lawyer for Administration of Justice (LAJ) of the Court of Instruction number 1 of Donostia that certifies that he has been appointed as a lawyer to defend an investigated person and in which he establishes that there is a pre-constituted test appointment for May 22, 2024.
Now, it will be the instructor who will have to decide whether to postpone that statement from Rovira, as he already did with that of the chief of staff of former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, Josep Lluis Alay. It is worth remembering that last week García Castellón rejected that Rovira could testify as being investigated by videoconference from Switzerland while clarifying that she had to do so from a court in Barcelona, ??where according to the magistrate her home is.
“There is no place for a statement by videoconference from Switzerland, given that the aforementioned system is contemplated in order to expedite the course of the proceedings, avoiding delays that could arise from the need to coordinate the presence of the interveners at the hearing. declaration when their displacement would be burdensome or impossible to carry out immediately,” he noted.
And he added that “videoconferencing is appropriate, therefore, when it can be implemented in an agile manner, which happens when it is used in the national territory with the system of the territory where the Fidelius system operates.” “In the present case, since the proceedings indicate that the residence of the investigated person is in Barcelona, ??the videoconference with a court in said town meets the conditions for agreeing to take a statement in this way,” he explained.
Rovira is being prosecuted in absentia by the Supreme Court in the ‘procés’ case in which the former Catalan vice president Oriol Junqueras and other former officials of the Generalitat were already convicted.
Last year, after the reform of the Penal Code that repealed the crime of sedition, the high court agreed to prosecute Rovira for a crime of disobedience and issued an arrest warrant – which remains in force – “in order to receive a statement from him,” just as he did with the former Catalan councilor Clara Ponsatí.
The AN judge planned to hear this Wednesday not only Rovira but also other investigators, such as businessman Oriol Soler; to the former secretary of organization of ERC Xavier Vendrell; to the ERC activist Marta Molina; to the journalist Jesús Rodríguez Sellés; to the considered treasurer of ‘Tsunami’ Jaume Cabani; and the leader of Òmnium Cultural Oleguer Serra.
