icon bookmark-bicon bookmarkicon cameraicon checkicon chevron downicon chevron lefticon chevron righticon chevron upicon closeicon v-compressicon downloadicon editicon v-expandicon fbicon fileicon filtericon flag ruicon full chevron downicon full chevron lefticon full chevron righticon full chevron upicon gpicon insicon mailicon moveicon-musicicon mutedicon nomutedicon okicon v-pauseicon v-playicon searchicon shareicon sign inicon sign upicon stepbackicon stepforicon swipe downicon tagicon tagsicon tgicon trashicon twicon vkicon yticon wticon fm
16 Jan, 2018 10:55

Barcelona court rules Catalonia separatist party funded itself illegally

The separatist party of Catalonia’s former Presidents Carles Puigdemont and Artur Mas received illegal commissions in exchange for public work contracts, a Barcelona court ruled Monday after a lengthy trial. The conservative CDC party, which in 2016 changed its name to the Catalan European Democratic Party (PDeCAT), received at least €6.6 million ($8.1 million) from Spanish infrastructure group Ferrovial “in exchange for guaranteeing the allocation of a certain amount of public works,” AFP reported, citing the ruling. Ferrovial would pay the commissions as donations to the Palau de la Musica, a famous cultural institution in Barcelona, whose two directors would take a cut and send the rest on to CDC, it added. PDeCAT last week found itself without a president after Mas – Catalan leader from 2010 to 2016 – stepped down in what critics say was linked to Monday’s sentence.