The Justice Commission approves the sedition and embezzlement reform, which will now go to the Plenary Session of Congress

The PP accuses Sánchez of "deconstructing Spain" and Vox speaks of an "institutional coup"

MADRID, 13 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Congressional Justice Commission has approved this Tuesday the bill that suppresses the crime of sedition and that includes a reform of the crime of embezzlement agreed by PSOE and Esquerra Republicana (ERC). The text has gone ahead with 19 votes in favor of socialists, 'purple', ERC and PNV compared to 17 against PP, Vox, Cs, Junts and CUP, while Bildu has chosen to abstain.

After this step, the opinion will be raised to the Plenary Session of Congress, where an absolute majority (176 votes) is required since it is a norm of organic rank.

The Commission was held after this Monday afternoon the PSOE, Unidas Podemos and ERC approved in a closed-door meeting of the presentation the changes proposed by the Government plus the reform of the crime of embezzlement, which is now already incorporated into the law that suppresses the crime of sedition, just the two crimes for which the leaders of the independence process of 2017 were convicted.

In his turn to speak, the spokesman for Justice of the PP, Luis Santamaría, has indicated that with these modifications, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, will go down in history for "deconstructing Spain" and for "demolishing the Transition pact". , in addition to building "a silver bridge" for the ERC leader Oriol Junqueras to be a candidate for the Generalitat and for contributing to the fact that a referendum for the independence of Catalonia is getting closer and closer.

Likewise, he has denounced the rushed processing of the bill and has assured that the Socialist Group seeks to "legislate à la carte" serving the interest of a few and not of the majority. For this reason, and in the face of what he has described as "fraud of the law" and "nonsense", he has announced that they will present the pertinent appeals through the courts to stop these reforms promoted by a president whom he has come to describe as "authoritarian".

In a more severe tone, the spokesman for Vox, Javier Ortega Smith, has spoken, who has pointed out that "an institutional coup d'état" is being experienced and that with the suppression of sedition and the reduction of embezzlement "they will only favor those who With violence and intimidation they have been trying to break the unity of Spain for decades".

In addition, he has denounced that the processing of this proposal has been carried out with procedural and regulatory fraud, "with unusual haste and with treachery and nocturnal activity", and has advanced just like the PP that will present a legal battle to stop these modifications to the Penal Code.

The spokesman for Ciudadanos, Edmundo Bal, has also been in the 'no' block, who has denounced that we are witnessing "one of the most serious attacks in the history of Spanish Democracy against the Rule of Law and against the Constitution" .

Thus, he has regretted that "ignoble and à la carte" legislation is being legislated to favor 'ad hominem' in exchange for remaining in power for the remainder of the legislature. "An absolute marketing", he has added, pointing out that Spain will pay "a very expensive price" to carry out the Budgets.

Faced with these words, the spokesman for Justice of the Socialist Group Francisco Aranda has lamented "the anger and rudeness" that is experienced in Congress due to the lofty words of the opposition, and has defended that the proposed law and the approved amendments they get ahead in the exercise of Democracy and under the protection of the legislative capacity of the groups.

In line, he has pointed out that this modification is in line with what the PSOE and its government partner proposed in 2019 when they won the general elections, which was to "restore bridges with Catalan society" and give politics a chance.

Thus, he has defended that the Spain and Catalonia of 2022 "want politics" and that the problem comes from those who do not believe in it, from those who "dehumanize" the adversary and delegitimize the Government.

For his part, the president of the United Podemos parliamentary group, Jaume Asens, explained that what is sought with the modification of embezzlement is to improve the "real botch" that the PP made in 2015. Regarding the elimination of the crime of sedition , has indicated that it is a positive reform despite the "shadows" that remain, and has specified that they do not like the crime of aggravated public disorder because it includes ambiguous concepts, high penalties and deficiencies.

"We have stayed halfway but there is a correlation of forces and we have gone as far as possible," he pointed out, adding that at least "the sword of Damocles" that hung over the demonstrators for the crime of sedition has ended . "It is a democratic advance," she concluded.

For her part, the ERC deputy spokesperson, Carolina Telechea, has indicated that the approved reform is positive despite the "obvious" margin for improvement because now no protester can be sentenced for sedition.

And regarding the embezzlement reform, he added that "the right should be happy", alluding to the fact that they are the ones that may have accumulated the most sentences for this crime. And he added that what is being done with these modifications is "to democratize a Penal Code that is one of the most punitive in Europe."

However, for the Junts spokesman, Josep Pagès, with this sedition reform, ERC assumes that the 2017 referendum was a crime, so they consider that this "improvised" modification started badly "and has ended worse".

In line, he has regretted that the new crime of aggravated public disorder contains indeterminations and maintains the assumption of intimidation, for which he fears the interpretation that judges or prosecutors who are "out of control" may make in the future. "It's crazy", he has added, to later add that the embezzlement reform is another "random" because it goes against European regulations.

He has also spoken out against the CUP deputy, Mireia Vehí, considering that with the new wording the pro-independence mobilizations continue to deserve punishment with special crimes, and has pointed out that criminal law should be legislated thinking that it will be applied by "the worst of the enemies." "What would happen if a government of PP and Vox applied it", she asked herself to later regret that the sedition reform continues to contemplate the concept of intimidation.

However, from the PDeCAT, Genís Boadella has defended that the reforms are positive because sedition is eliminated and embezzlement is limited so that different cases do not deserve the same criminal reproach. "We understand that it can serve as a good tool," he added.

Bildu's spokesman, Jon Iñarritu, has pointed out that these reforms are positive and necessary, and that they adapt Spanish legislation to European parameters. In addition, he has added that the dejudicialization of the political conflict in Catalonia is positive.

Along these lines, PNV spokesman Mikel Legarda explained that the reform is a step in the right direction to remove the Catalan process from justice, and involves updating the State "to address the Catalan and Basque political issues." "Political claims must be addressed politically," he has sentenced.