Public Ministry Requests Nine Years in Prison for Jordi Pujol

THE Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office has requested nine years in prison for Jordi Pujol for the crimes of money laundering and illicit association.

The Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office has requested nine years in prison for Jordi Pujol, president of the Generalitat, for the crimes of money laundering and illicit association, as reported by La Vanguardia. 29 years in prison is requested for the eldest son, Jordi Pujol Ferrusola, for the additional crimes of falsification of a commercial document, five crimes against the Public Treasury and another for the frustration of the execution. For Jordi’s ex-wife, Mercé Gironés, 17 years in prison are requested for allegedly participating in several of the crimes.

José de la Mata, the judge who instructed the case, prosecuted the family members for criminal organisation, amongst other crimes. However, the prosecutor’s office has decided to lower this to illicit association, which carries lower penalties.

A request of eight years in prison has been set for the rest of the children, Pere, Oleguer, Oriol, Mireia and Marta Pujol Ferrusola, except for Josep whose request is 14 years in prison. There is an additional fine for the crime of money laundering of €38.7 million (£33,684,023), to which additional amounts must be added in other currencies.

José de la Mata, the judge of the National Court, proposed to try Pujol, his wife and their seven children for forming a criminal organisation through corruption for decades, all for their own benefit.

The Prosecutor’s Office claims that there are indications of bringing the Pujol family to trial for taking advantage of their privileged position in Catalan political, social and economic life “to accumulate an excessive wealth,” directly related to economic perceptions derived from corrupt activities”, the judge said.

The letter states that the Pujol family acted together to “hide, at least since 1991, a huge amount of money in Andorra, as a result of favouring certain businessmen to be awarded various public tenders by the Catalan public administration.”

According to the prosecutor, Jordi Pujol agreed with his wife that the funds from their illicit activities carried out over the years to be shared into accounts opened in the name of her and her children, of which would later be merged with Banc Agrícola giving rise to Andbank.

Both parents agreed that the funds would be managed and distributed to the rest of the family members by their son, Jordi.

The Prosecutor’s Office believed that the former Catalan president took advantage of his political position to create a network of patronage to which he and other businessmen related to the political party he led, Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) shared the large profits.

The letter says that the assets “illegally obtained were hidden from the Public Treasury and later surfaced through systematic laundering operations in which members of the Pujol family intervened in a coordinated manner over many years.”

The prosecutor also highlights the creation of numerous companies domiciled in tax havens, accounts opened in the name of third parties, multiple transfers and cash income, “allowed the Pujol Ferrusola family to distribute the illicit funds and dispose of them through charges in their accounts in Andorra,” the indictment states.