AMP. The State Attorney asks the Supreme Court to reduce Junqueras' disqualification from 13 to 7 years

It also requests a reduction in the disqualification sentences for the rest of those convicted in the 'procés' case

MADRID, 26 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

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 of Catalonia and leader of ERC, Oriol Junqueras, by virtue of the reform of the Penal Code which repeals the crime of sedition and modifies that of embezzlement.

In a letter, to which Europa Press has had access, the legal services of the Administration have addressed the magistrates of the court who judged the cause of the 'procés' and who imposed a sentence of 13 years in prison and disqualification on Junqueras for the crime of sedition in media contest with embezzlement. The Supreme Court had given the defenses and the prosecution 8 days to rule on the impact of the penal reform on the sentences set in October 2019.

In 39 pages, the Legal Profession has explained that it considers it pertinent to lower Junqueras' disqualification sentence "taking into account the penalties provided for in article 433 of the Penal Code --- the modality of the crime of embezzlement with which the use of public assets is punished for purposes other than the one for which it was intended-- and 557.2 --relating to aggravated public disorder--" when appreciating the medial competition between both crimes.

In another battery of writings, to which this news agency has also had access, the State lawyer Rosa María Seoane has asked the court to also review the disqualification sentences of the rest of the pro-independence leaders who were sentenced in the case of ' procés' for crimes of sedition and/or embezzlement. The Lawyers have considered these reductions pertinent by changing the crime of sedition to that of aggravated public disorder.

Specifically, he has asked the Supreme Court to reduce from 12 to 6 years and 9 months the disqualification sentence for former councilors Jordi Turull, Raül Romeva and Dolors Bassa. For former directors Joaquim Forn and Josep Rull, it has requested that their disqualification sentences be lowered from 10 years and 6 months to 6 years and 3 months.

In the case of the former president of the ANC Jordi Sànchez and the former president of Òmnium Cultural Jordi Cuixart, they have demanded that their sentence of absolute disqualification of 9 years be changed to a sentence of special disqualification from public office of 4 years.

For the former president of the Parliament, Carme Forcadell has requested that the sentence of 11 years and 6 months of disqualification be modified and that of 6 years and 6 months be imposed.

The Legal Profession has limited itself to reviewing the disqualification sentences and has not asked to modify the prison sentences imposed in the 'procés' sentence because those convicted were pardoned their prison sentences in June 2021.

The court of the 'procés' must review the sentences imposed in 2019 after the repeal of sedition and the modification of embezzlement to apply the most favorable Penal Code to those convicted, as established by the norm itself in its article 2. Although the Supreme Court has summoned the parties to pronounce themselves, it will be the court -- chaired by magistrate Manuel Marchena -- who will finally decide how the sentence remains.