Manuel Marraco Madrid
Madrid
Updated Tuesday, February 20, 2024-11:34
Switzerland has again refused to collaborate with the National Court in the
Tsunami Democràtic
investigation . Judge
Manuel García-Castellón
had asked the Swiss authorities to locate the general secretary of ERC, the accused
Marta Rovira
, as well as data on a bank account that would have been used to finance the activities of the platform.
In a brief letter to the
Ministry of Justice
, the Swiss Government indicates that it is suspending its response pending certain additional information. In particular, it asks the court to specify what Rovira's involvement would have been in the incidents at the El Prat airport, blocked in October 2019 by a crowd summoned by
Tsunami
to protest the sentences of the
process
.
Rovira fled to Switzerland in 2018 to avoid prison when the Supreme Court agreed to the 1-O prosecutions. Then the Swiss Government made it known that it would not hand over the ERC leader in any case. Subsequently, in the investigation of the National Court for
Tsunami
, in 2020 she also refused to complete a first rogatory commission sent by the court.
In its new response, Switzerland highlights that the recent request is very similar to the one it already "denied" and that with regard to Rovira "it goes deeper into the facts already described in the first request for mutual assistance."
The response to the court indicates that in order to "verify" whether the request for help "has a political nature", something that would "prevent" assistance from being granted, under Swiss legislation on mutual assistance in criminal matters, additional information would be needed.
Among other points, about the involvement of the ERC leader, which does not seem "clear." "We would like to know the exact relationship between Ms. Rovira Vergés, the subject of both the criminal investigation and one of the mutual assistance measures, and the demonstrations at the two airports mentioned [El Prat and Barajas]; in other words "It is important to highlight the precise involvement of Ms. Rovira Vergés in these demonstrations, and more specifically in the actions taken against Spanish officials and looting committed in this context," indicates the response of the Swiss authorities.
The letter goes on to indicate that, through the press, there has been news of the processing of "an amnesty law for several Catalan separatists." "We would appreciate it if your Ministry and/or the Central Court of Instruction number 6 could give us more information on this matter. It would be convenient, among other things, if you could explain to us the possible consequences of this law on the procedures initiated against the members of the
Tsunami Democràtic
platform , as well as against Ms. Rovira Vergés, whose membership in said platform is not clear."