Feijóo predicts that those convicted of corruption will benefit from the reform of the Penal Code

Warn the Government of the international impact of questioning the independence of the judiciary

   BARCELONA, 26 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has predicted this Thursday that those convicted of crimes of corruption, not related to the independence process, will benefit from the reform of the Criminal Code (CP) and the reduction of sentences for crimes of embezzlement.

"I can assure you that there will be many people who have committed corruption crimes, not those of the 'procés', such as the commissions or the use of money to win elections, who will benefit from the reduction of sentences," he said in a colloquium in the Equestrian Circle.

All this after the State Attorney has asked the Supreme Court (TS) to reduce from 13 to 7 years the sentence of absolute disqualification that was imposed on the former vice president of the Generalitat and leader of ERC Oriol Junqueras by virtue of the reform of the CP .

Beyond the fact that the Prosecutor's Office asks not to review Junqueras' sentence, he has assured that what is important is what is dictated by the second chamber of the Supreme Court and believes that the political intention of reducing the sentences for the crime of embezzlement is "to benefit the that they have committed a crime of sedition and have used public funds to commit it".

"In a democracy there is no politician who, being affected by a conviction, can write the Penal Code for his own benefit. It is inappropriate for a representative democracy," lamented Feijóo, who has criticized this attitude from an ethical and moral point of view .

In his opinion, what happened is "extremely dangerous and a serious historical error" of Spanish democracy, and he believes that it threatens the defense of the rights of Spaniards who want to see the integrity of the territory guaranteed, against judicial independence and against depoliticization of justice.

After specifying that the last time he spoke with the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, was in October or early November after the resignation of the then president of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) Carlos Lesmes, he has accused the Government of emptying powers to this body so that it cannot exercise them.

"They have removed powers from him, he is prohibited from making appointments. It is an anomaly that is in the Constitutional Court," stressed the popular leader after reproaching that the CGPJ was allowed to recover said powers to appoint Constitutional judges.

After emphasizing that "what is abnormal is to politicize justice", he has defended the need to agree on a system that offers greater judicial independence with measures such as that the State Attorney General has not held political positions in the last five years and neither has any president of the Council of State and no member of the CGPJ or the TC, among others.

For this reason, it has ensured that it is at the disposal of the Government to deepen the independence of the judiciary, and has warned of the risk of sending certain messages at the international level that question said independence because "when it questions the independence of the judiciary, it is sending a message with a first-rate political, institutional and economic impact".

When asked what project he has for Catalonia if he governs after the generals, he has advocated working for a Spain "more structured, united and more cosmopolitan", after defending that when one practices exclusion one stagnates or regresses.

Consequently, he has pointed out that he would like integration, cosmopolitanism and stability to form part of Catalan politics as well as for Catalonia to be key in the governability of Spain and to recover "from some of the errors" committed.

"It is difficult to convey an image of reliability when the one in charge sends a message that it is a hostile land to foreigners," warned Feijóo, who believes that Catalonia has lost opportunities such as the loss of the European Medicines Agency and by not presenting the bid to host the Winter Olympics in 2030.

He also believes that it is not good that when the French president, Emmanuele Macron, visits Catalonia "he gets the feeling that he has come to a place in Europe where the hallmarks of European countries like France are not respected, and not even the hallmarks of the host country".

In his opinion, there is no region of Europe that has more powers than Catalonia and he believes that the project for Catalonia to fit in with the rest of Spain "has been locked in for 500 years."

"Together with France, we are the oldest nation in the world. Imagine if we are stuck," claimed the president of the PP, who has praised the 1978 Constitution.

Moreover, he considers that the Constitution has been "so generous that even the pro-independence parties are legal in Spain", something that he assures does not happen in Portugal and that in Berlin they cannot stand for election.

"Here, yes. Even if the people vote for them, they can agree and govern, but you have to govern in accordance with the traffic regulations. No matter how much capacity you have to buy a Tesla, you have to comply with the speed limits," he asserted. Feijóo, who has summoned those who want to change the current system to do so through legal channels.