The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office has filed a complaint against Josep Lluís Alay, responsible for the office of former Generalitat President Carles Puigdemont for alleged embezzlement and administrative prevarication. The public prosecutor’s office sees evidence of these crimes regarding several trips Mr. Alay made, and thet they were detailed by him as public office expenses. Among them is the journey to be an international observer of the independence referendum of New Caledonia in 2018.
The prosecutor’s office includes in his file Meritxell Masó, secretary general of the Presidency, for approving this burden in the coffers of the Generalitat. The prosecution called Masó’s decision “manifestly arbitrary and unfair” as he knew that the trip did not respond to any of Mr. Alay’s responsibilities as director of Puigdemont’s office.
Travel of more than 4,000 euros
Josep Lluís Alay’s trip to which the complaint of the Public Prosecutor’s Office refers is framed between the October 30 and November 6 of 2018 — the referendum in New Caledonia was held on Sunday 4–. Anti-corruption prosecutor Teresa Duerto reports the total costs of this transfer at 4,732.56 euros which includes flights, accommodation and allowances.
It also charged the Generalitat two bills corresponding to AP-7 tolls corresponding to a visit to Lledoners prison, in which those convicted by the organization of the 1-O. Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office argue that “there is no reason that “there is no reason that justify” the position of these two concepts as part of the budget of the office of the former fugitive president.
Abuse of his public office
The prosecutor argues that Mr. Alay abused her status as head of former President Puigdemont’s office with a “purpose of unlawful enrichment“. It claims that it was exceeded in its duties and that it departed “from its obligation to serve general interests proper to the staff of the Administration”.
All this with the collusion of Masó, who authorized the payments despite having “full knowledge that that activity was not among those attributed to the complainant (referring to Alay) nor did it correspond to any of the personal, political or through the former president’s office is covered.”
‘ Escort ‘ of Puigdemont
Josep Lluís Alay was one of the four companions of former President Puigdemont when he was arrested in Germany on 25 March, because of the euro-order activated after his escape from Spanish justice. He therefore had to testify in the court of the National Hearing as charged with a crime of cover-up. The cause that was filed months later.
The fugitive has shown his support for Alay via his Twitter and has taken advantage of the case to launch a critique of justice. He claims that the complaint is based on “preventing” his work as politicians and that the courts “seek the civilian death” of the independentists. Puigdemont sure that the claim is made by “a trip and 11 euros of toll”, but nothing says of the cost of Mr. Alay’s visit to New Caledonia.
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