Homs enters the court rallied around by hundreds of supporters
He faces a 9-year ban from public office
Former Catalan President, Artur Mas’ right-hand man, Francesc Homs,
faces trial this Monday for helping to organise the 9-N symbolic vote on
independence in 2014. The Spanish public prosecutor accuses him of
disobedience and perversion of justice for allowing the consultation to
take place and wants Homs, former Catalan Government Spokesman and MP
for the Catalan European Democratic Party (PDECAT), banned from office
for 9 years. The judicialisation of the 9-N symbolic vote on
independence in 2014, has already brought former Catalan President Artur
Mas, and former Catalan Ministers Joana Ortega and Irene Rigau before
the court. Homs himself also testified before Barcelona’s High Court
less than three weeks ago. Then he stated that when the Catalan
Government received the Spanish Constitutional Court (TC) ruling he told
the Government that by allowing the 9-N they wouldn’t be “violating any
law and even less the penal code”.
Hundreds join Homs to the court
While Mas, Ortega and Rigau had to testify before Barcelona’s
High Court, Homs is facing the Spanish Supreme Court because he is
currently a member of the Spanish Congress. On his way to the court,
Homs was joined by 100 people. Amongst them, members of the Catalan
Governments, representatives from Homs’ party, PDeCAT’s and other
political forces such as left-wing pro-independence ERC and alternative
left alliance ‘En Comú Podem’. Representatives of the main
pro-independence civil associations, Catalan National Assembly (ANC),
Òmniu Cultural, the Association of Municipalities for Independence (AMI)
and the Catalan Association of Municipalities (ACM) were also there,
representing the citizens’ support for those politics who have been
summonsed for allowing the 9-N symbolic vote.
Homs lamented that the main institutions of the Spanish State have
acted copycatting People’s Party (PP) interests. He repeatedly stated
that the trial over the 9-N is a “political” case and not a judicial
one. “We have the feeling that the sentence has already been dictated,
even before listening to the parties involved”, the former Minister
stressed.
